First Impressions
by Elvira Rayne
Summary: In high school, Lavi was the Senior that loved to play jokes on people, but when one joke went too far, a certain Allen Walker had to pay for it. Being picked on for the rest of his years at high school, four years later, Allen could finally escape from all that by moving out. Now, the two meet again, but will Allen be able to forgive Lavi to start something new? For Laven Week! AU
1. Chapter 1

**This is for Laven week! Kinda...it was an old story I was working on, and I'm fresh out of ideas, so I'm going to dedicate this story to Laven week so it will be _Laven._ There might be a little Poker Pair here and there and maybe some other pairings but it _will _be Laven in the end. If this story isn't completed after Laven week is over...well then oh well. I'll still update it because I think it's an _awesome _idea if I do say so myself. Now that I think about it...this is the first time I'm publishing a Laven story! Oh dear...anyways, I don't own -Man!**

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Allen sighed with relief as he placed the last box down on the living room floor labeled _Study Room. _It took him awhile to get this far. He finally had his own house, only turning eighteen more than six months ago. It was quite impressive to him to say the least. He was proud of himself for escaping Cross' evil clutches. He'd been living with that gruesome man for a painstaking six years and was finally free of that dreadful drunkard.

Marian Cross was his guardian, even though the two had no relation to each other. Cross was apparently one of Mana's 'well trusted men' and he was forced to live with him. Though, as the years passed, Allen did learn a good deal of martial arts to protect himself. That was the only good thing he learned from the womanizer though. That, and that he'll probably never love a woman in his entire life. _Cross _made sure to ruin that for him. He would've stayed with Neah if it were not for his guilty conscience that bashed him, telling him Mana's death was his fault...which, to Allen, it kinda was...

Anyways...

Allen huffed and collapsed on the couch that he had moved there ten minutes ago. It was summer and Allen missed out on the spring college classes, but he reminded himself that he would be taking the fall entrance exams soon. He wanted to become anything and everything. Allen was fond of exploring the world alongside his foster father and was thrilled when it came to the arts. Logic though, wasn't his forte. He got a bad sense of direction because of it.

So, he was going to major in anything and everything he could. The only thing he didn't do was dance. That was half Cross' fault and half Allen's. Cross wanted money, and to do that, Allen had to dance for it...he should've just ran away a long time ago. So, he was good at acting, singing, playing instruments, writing and all of that sorts. He was actually planning on creating his own manga, which he had learned about when he and Mana visited Japan. He was also good at cooking. He wanted to live his life to the fullest. Many people would tell him that college was fun and exciting but Allen knew better than to believe that. It involved learning.

Learning was also not Allen's forte.

Allen wiped the sweat from his brow and turned the AC on full blast. Well...not _full_ blast. But pretty damn near close. This was when Allen decided he was hungry. It was hot so...why not ice cream? Allen drooled at the thought of it. Quite literally. He stretched, picking himself off the couch and decided to go out and get some ice cream. He figured he would walk...until he stepped outside into the blistering heat. He walked back inside, not wanting to shed any clothing. He walked over to the door that was connected to the garage and grabbed his keys as he walked. Allen paused. His fridge was just as starving as he was.

"Actually, I should probably go shopping first." Allen said aloud to himself.

Allen decided to put food aside—and Allen _never _put food aside. This would explain the severity of the situation. Allen _always _had food in his house. As one would probably predict, Allen loved food. Allen hopped in his sandy-colored Nissan—it wasn't silver but it wasn't quite brown or tan—and started up the engine. Once he arrived at Kroger's, Allen locked his car and walked inside the fresh, air conditioned building. He breathed a sigh of relaxation at the wind that blew in his face, which normally he wouldn't enjoy, had it not been summer.

Allen grabbed a cart and pushed it through the automatic doors. He looked around before heading off into the vegetable section. He did not expect to meet a certain familiar Chinese girl, Lenalee Lee. A classmate from his old school he had recently graduated from. True, he didn't want to be reminded of that place ever again, but Lenalee was nicer than all of the other classmates that picked on him for his unnatural hair color and odd scar. She spotted him grabbing a tomato and squeaked. Allen wanted to place the tomato _safely _into the bag but dropped it in inside. He turned his head as Lenalee ran over.

"Allen! Hi!"

"Um...hello...?" Allen frowned before picking up another tomato and placing it in a plastic bag with the other. He was quite confused. Him and Lenalee were not friends. He only knew her from Band and that was just about it. He never breathed a word to her unless it was 'Excuse me' or 'Sorry'. Those were the only words he ever spoke on a daily basis at high school.

"So, what are you doing here?"

_Is that supposed to be a trick question? _

"I'm...shopping?"

"For yourself?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Really?"

"...yes?"

"Don't you have someone else that shops for you? Oh! Did you move out? How old are you again? I thought you were sixteen!" Lenalee giggled and patted his head. "You're so short."

"I'm eighteen...and yes I moved out..."

This was very awkward for Allen. In school, he never had such a long conversation with someone before.

"Wow, I've been waiting to talk to you for so long!" Allen deadpanned...why was she talking to him in the first place? Allen sent her an unnoticed cautious look.

"Uhuh..."

"You probably don't know me, but I know all about you!"

"Excuse me, but how?"

"Road of course! We were like best friends! She talked about you a lot and I only ever got to see you during Band! We never had any classes together so we never had a chance to talk!"

"I can believe it." Allen moved deeper into the fruit section and picked up a plastic box of strawberries. Allen wasn't really good around other people his age, so he found it hard to be around Lenalee. But she just kept _following _him.

"Yeah, not to mention her adoptive uncle has a huge crush on you." Allen instantly went red. _Someone _have a crush on _him?! _That didn't even _sound _possible.

"Wh-what?!"

"You didn't know? Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said that then." She giggled. Allen looked away to hide his blush and started collecting random foods. "Anyways, you seem nice." She smiled.

"Y-yeah, I guess..."

"So what are you doing for the summer? Are you going to college in the fall?"

"Yes, I am. And for the summer, I don't specifically have anything I'm doing. I might get a job though." Allen said as he put apples, oranges, blueberries, grapefruits, grapes, and other fruits. Allen really loved fruit.

"Seems like a good idea. So, where do you live now?"

"Uh..."

"What? It's not like I'm going to stalk you or anything. I won't promise you Road won't though. She's all for you and her uncle getting together."

"That's a bit..."

"Weird?"

"Unnerving...I was going to say unnerving. I don't even know who her uncle is..."

"I would tell you, but that would be no fun." Lenalee stuck her tongue out at him.

"Right, well I have shopping to do...I'll talk to you later?"

"Great! See you later Allen!" She waved kindly and skipped away. As soon as she disappeared, Allen ran the other way with his cart, leaving her no time to come back and ask him for his number. If she was anything like Road, she would definitely consider on stalking him.

He made his way over to the meat and picked out a few protein products and placed them in his cart. He left his cart for a moment to pick out a gallon of milk. However, Cross never had milk at the house but Allen would remember Mana would always have some in the fridge...Mana never took him shopping either so he didn't know what kind of milk to get. He just picked out one with a familiar red sticker and cap on it and went with that. He placed it in his cart and shopped for the next few hours. He went to the check out area and placed items on the moving tape.

"Well, well, well, look who it is! Hello, boy." Allen blinked and looked up at the employee, tilting his head to the side cutely. The badge on the Portuguese man's left chest clearly stated: Tyki Mikk.

"I'm sorry...but do I know you?"

"No, but I know you." Allen sweat dropped. That's the _second _time he heard that today.

"Okay...how many people know me that I don't know about?" Tyki laughed, which was quite sexy in Allen's point of view. He wouldn't lie, Tyki did look pretty damn hot. Allen blushed at Tyki's smile, avoiding eye contact. The floor wasn't as entertaining though. Tyki scanned, weighed, and bagged the items all the same.

"Actually quite a bit of people know about you, what with Road's gossip."

"...what exactly has she been saying?" Tyki smirked at his blush, making it go deeper.

"Oh, she's said quite a bit about you actually. Quote: Allen is quite shy, and it's just so adorable! He doesn't talk much, but when he does, he's really polite! I just think his scar and hair make him all the more unique, don't you think so too, Tyki?" Allen went even more red if that was possible. "He also gets very embarrassed easily! End quote." Allen quietly mumbled something incoherent. Tyki simply chuckled. "So, I see that you've finally moved out of that blasted Cross' place." Allen looked at him suspiciously.

"You know Cross?"

"I know Neah, who knows Cross." At the mention of said uncle, Allen felt a pang of guilt in his gut.

"Oh..."

"But, did you happen to know that you're moving into the house across from mine?" Allen blinked at this a couple times.

"Really? No, I didn't know that..." _I really didn't know that...but how did he know?_

"Perhaps you'd like to eat some lunch sometime?"

_No way...is he asking me on a date?! _

"Oh, I dunno...I'm actually pretty b-busy unpacking my stuff and I also have to study for college entrance exams in the fall—I don't even know what college I'm going to yet!" Allen gasped. "Why didn't I think about that? Hm..." Tyki laughed.

"Don't worry, you have three whole months to decide. Your total is $237.13"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I've been talking so much...let's see here..." Allen pulled out his black striped wallet and handed Tyki three hundred dollars in cash. Tyki raised his eyebrows, impressed with all the money Allen carries around.

"It's okay, but you know, not every teenager goes around with more than three hundred dollars in cash in his wallet." Allen blushed.

"Ah, well...I...um..." Allen blushed and muttered something as Tyki handed him back his change.

"What was that, boy?"

"AH! Nothing! It was nothing!" Allen blushed, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, come on, what were you saying?"

"I said...I don't know...how to..."

"How to?"

"Manage a bank account..." Tyki sat in silence for a couple minutes before laughing. "It's not funny...C-Cross didn't have a bank account either...just a lot of debts..." Allen shuddered at the word.

"Well, I'll swing by later and show you how to work it, eh? I'll even help you unpack some stuff, how does that sound, boy?" Allen blushed. This was crazy! This _beautiful _man was his neighbor! Not only that, he wanted to spend time with _Allen _of all people!

"I...I dunno...I...okay?" Allen grabbed a hold of the cart and wheeled it out. The manager was scolding Tyki for flirting with customers but Tyki simply smirked.

_That was interesting..._

Allen arrived and parked in his driveway instead of his garage. Yes, it was probably safer to park in the garage, but his garage was quite tiny and he nearly took his mirror off parking it in there the first time. Allen walked around and popped his trunk open. He took about eight bags at a time, not really enjoying second trips.

"Allen! No way, is that you?!" Allen jumped and slammed his fingers in the trunk. He quickly pulled them out and glared at the trunk angrily. He turned his head to see who nearly got his fingers chopped off. He tried not to grimace as Lenalee jogged over. "I didn't know you moved next to us!"

"Us...being who?"

"Us as in me, Lavi, and Kanda!"

"Eh?" He knew who Lavi was. Lavi was a Senior at the high school they went to but Allen was just a freshman then and never really saw him though he did develop sort of a crush for him. He was all over that though...or so he thought.

"Don't tell me you don't remember Lavi! He was one of the first trumpets in band."

"I know that..." Allen looked down at the ground. Lenalee frowned.

True, Allen did have a crush on Lavi at some point but that was before Lavi embarrassed him in front of the entire school. Allen didn't like to remember it. He knew Lavi meant no harm by it, but it did a _lot _of harm to his self-esteem. It was in the beginning of school, which was why Allen was teased throughout the rest of his school years. Lavi was originally trying to play a prank on a teacher, placing a _steaming _bucket full of beansprouts of all things above the cafeteria door. Kanda, Lavi's _friend_ was in on it too. He was late for lunch and just when the teacher was about to go in the door, Allen went in instead.

The history teacher was mildly sorry for Lavi's behavior and liked Allen ever since...but for the rest of the four years he stayed there, he was picked on. This caused him great pain, as he was already suffering from his father's death. Not only that, Cross was disrespectful as ever and Allen was forced to pay his bills or not eat. The pressure of all these things at once, developed Allen into the habit of cutting. He just felt so degraded and started bashing himself for it. He still had scars on his right wrist from it, but he quit that habit the end of his Senior year.

But even so, Allen still found himself thinking about the redhead from time to time.

"What's wrong, Allen?" Lenalee asked worriedly.

Of course Lenalee wasn't at school that day.

"N-nothing's wrong...I just...never mind, I have some work to do..." Allen fidgeted before leaving the girl. Lenalee was a very confused camper. Just what did Lavi do to make Allen so sad?

After going inside, Allen put away all his groceries and even started unpacking some boxes. He left a few boxes untouched, because he was tired, and decided to go upstairs into his study room. The computer just happened to be Allen's best friend for the last four years. No one on the online chats could ever make fun of him because they didn't know what he really looked like and who he really was. He became quite close with this girl on Chatango actually. Her username was TheAncientDeity but she insisted Allen on calling her Fou since they were so oddly close. His username was CrownClown. They both had feelings they could vent to each other about. She also told him about 'the birds and the bees'. Now _that _had been an embarrassing situation. Too bad for Allen, she lived all the way in Asia. Speaking of Fou, she was actually online at the moment.

TAD: Hey Short Stack, hows it going?

CC: Didn't I tell you not to insult my height?! Hey wait, aren't you shorter than me? -_-

TAD: Maybe I am, maybe I'm not ;) so hey, I'm actually going to be visiting England soon!

CC: ...really? That is quite interesting...what for?

TAD: It was BakaBak-chan's idea actually -sigh- apparently he's been reading all of our messages (he's an expert at stalking). He's stupid tho so don't worry about it.

CC: That isn't nice XD

TAD: That's nice coming from me.

CC: Too true, so when are you guys coming?

TAD: Maybe next week? You're 18 now right? Does that mean you've moved out?

CC: Yup! I don't have to deal with Cross anymore too! I didn't give him my new address :P

TAD: Well I say good riddance! And you're becoming more rebellious ;) I wonder why that could be?

CC: You're a really bad influence on me, you know that?

TAD: You bet!

CC: You'll never guess who I moved next to though...

TAD: Who?

CC: Lavi

TAD: Ouch! That sucks.

CC: However...

TAD: ?

CC: I also have a freaking mind blown sexy neighbor living across from me c;

TAD: Oh, Allen! I never knew you were such a bad boy...its always the quiet ones...lmfao!

CC: Oh my god Fou XD

TAD: Soooo, what's this charming devil look like? ;)

Fou already knew about his attraction to guys from a VERY awkward conversation...

CC: I think he's Portuguese...

TAD: -wiggles eyebrows-

CC: And oddly...I think he might be interested in me o.O which is really weird because I look kinda...er...how would you say it? Odd? Certainly.

TAD: Awe, Allen, you're too modest! How many people have called you cute?

CC: None that I know of...wait, actually I think Road has...

TAD: You talk to the tar in the the street?

CC: NO! Her name is Road Camelot...and I think she stalks me...its quite creepy really...

Allen ran downstairs for a moment to grab a Popsicle that was in the fridge. It was really hot and he needed something frozen to cool him down. He ran back upstairs and plopped in his chair, only to see that Fou hadn't replied back. Allen peeled back the wrapper and licked the delicious frozen treat. He leaned back in his chair, waiting for Fou to reply back. He crossed his arms, wondering if she as still there. He didn't notice that there were two people eying him as he sucked and licked on the Popsicle.

Straight across from his window, was Lavi's window and he was leaning back just far enough to be able to see out of it. It was probably possible to jump out of his window and into Lavi's...which would mean it was probably more safe to close his window.

Anyways, Lavi and Kanda were currently occupying the room and both of their attention was straight on Allen's form. Lavi was typing on his own computer while Kanda was 'innocently' leaning against the wall, aggravated with the previously chattering Lavi; he was probably planning his slow, painful, accidental death. Lavi's eyes widened when he saw Allen and he snapped his trap shut and watched as Allen enjoyed his Popsicle. Kanda too seemed to be staring at Allen but more dangerously. Allen was relieved when Fou finally typed back though he kept leaning back in his chair.

TAD: That's scary, Allen. It really is.

CC: Yeah, I know...

TAD: God I wish it wasn't so hot here TT^TT

CC: Eat a Popsicle! That's what I'm doing...

TAD: Oh, I bet you're _loving_ that Popsicle right now aren't you? ;) I bet there's something else you'd love to suck, hm? ;)

Allen choked and slammed his chair back on the ground, blushing madly. The two adults reluctantly tore their gaze away from the window and continued where they left off previously.

CC: THAT WAS SO DIRTY! :( I choked because of you! I could've died! :c

TAD: BWAHAHAHHAHAHA! YOU CHOKED ON IT! You're like, the most innocent gay guy I've ever met! Not to mention the awesomest! I can't wait to come over now!

CC: I could've died and you're laughing about it?! You're so mean :( and awesomest isn't even a word!

TAD: But at least you would've died happy, am I right? ;)

CC: FOU!

TAD: Lmfao!

CC: You're cruel, you know that?

TAD: And I'm lovin it! Well I've got to go now, ttyl sucker...haha sucker ;)

CC: -_-

TAD: :P

TheAncientDeity has logged out.

Allen sighed and leaned back in his chair again, staring at the screen. He already finished his Popsicle but that didn't help the heat. He was so bored! He never imagined that he would ever be bored...maybe he should start writing a plot for that manga he wanted to create? That sounded great, but he didn't even know what he wanted it to be about! He wasn't hungry—which was a first for Allen—so he didn't need to cook...singing was just something he temporarily did. Of course, he can't put any of his talents to good use right now. Maybe could draw? Allen sighed again. He had never been so bored in his entire life. He _always_ has something to do.

"Hey, neighbor!"

And now he had something else to do, which included falling out of his chair and damaging his god forsaken brain.

"Whoa, bro, are you alright?" He knew that voice from anywhere...Lavi Bookman.

"Y-yeah I'm..." Allen didn't finish, seeing Lavi's charming face from the other window. "I'm fine." _Though it's not like you really care._ Allen held back that comment.

"Hm...you look familiar, do I know you?"

"Um...I dunno maybe we passed by each other before...?"

"No way! That's Moyashi!"

"Moyashi?" Aka, Japanese for bean sprout. Allen sighed, he hoped that subject would never be brought up again, but who was he kidding? "The sprout you dumped that steaming pot on four years ago."

"You mean during high school? Oh yeah! That freshy that gramps absolutely adores!" Allen clenched his fists and stood up. He rubbed the back of his head and walked over to his window.

"What do you want?"

"Awe, don't be like that! Look, it was an accident I swear! You sure can hold a grudge, bean sprout!"

That was one wrong move Lavi shouldn't have made. Allen glared hardcore at him and slammed his window shut before walking off. That nickname haunted his past an he certainly didn't want to return back to that time. He decided to change into some shorts and pulled on some white ones that fit him quite well. He grabbed his iPod, plugging his ears, and rode his bike out through the neighborhood, noticing Lavi who was trying to call out to him. Allen blushed, remembering Lavi's desperate look as Allen pedaled away.

He remembered stalking him in school. It was quite embarrassing actually. He couldn't help it though. Ever since that charming grin was sent towards him, his heart always skipped a beat around the playful redhead. His heart was damaged so much because of the unaware bag of joy. Allen sighed. He should really move on, they never even really knew each other! _Damn it, he knew nothing about you why am I so-ugh_! Allen growled and pedaled. He was on the correct side of the road, but that didn't stop him from being honked at mysteriously. This made Allen lose balance and look back. That was a bad idea. Because Allen didn't see where he was going, he crashed into a mailbox. Oh the dreadful boxes of mail. He hated mailboxes. Whenever he was around them, he always had to pay debts.

Anyways...

"_That,_ my friend, was a very graceful crash."

"Shut up, it's your fault." Allen grumbled at him. He didn't know Lavi would be following him. That was just creepy. Like Road creepy.

"I expected you to be more nice..."

"Says the guy who dumped a _steaming _pot of water on my head."

"Actually, it was bean sprouts-"

"I know what it was! Just so you know, I was terrorized by it for every single day of my high school life." Allen stood up and dusted himself off.

"Whoa, really?"

"Yes, really, I'm glad you and your friends could laugh it off while I suffered though." Allen glared before picking his bike up and walk off. Lavi still followed him.

"Come on! Let me make it up to you!"

"Make it up to me?! Lavi, that was four years worth of torment! I don't think there is a making up for it."

"Huh, you know my name?"

"Who _doesn't _know your name?"

"You got a point there, bean sprout. I am very awesome."

"Very awesome at being an egotistical jerk!"

"Ow, that hurt!"

"Oh I'm sorry, your highness, would you like me to kiss it better?" Allen asked sarcastically.

"Eh, didn't know you swing that way, bean sprout."

"First of all, the name is Allen. Second, what's it to you of my sexual orientation?" Allen kept walking, trying his best to keep his stomach under control. It was doing flip flops all over the place.

"Didn't expect that answer...so wait you are gay? Agh, I probably shouldn't have said that-"

"You're very annoying." Allen interrupted, parking his bike in his driveway.

"You're so mean!"

"Actually Allen is quite the polite type."

"Tyki?!" Both Lavi and Allen exclaimed.

"Hello, boy~" Tyki snaked his arm around Allen's waist. Allen reacted violently and flung himself away from Tyki.

"Please don't do that..." Allen blushed furiously.

"Yeah, Tyki, learn to respect people's personal space."

"Says the idiot who followed me the way home."

"Awe, you're so mean, Allen-chan!~" Lavi flung himself at Allen, hugging him. Allen shoved him away.

"Please don't touch me..."

"Sensitive personal bubble you got there..."

"I wonder why!" Allen glared at Lavi.

"Eh?! This is my fault?!"

"This is stupid. I'll talk to you later, Tyki, I have nothing to do."

"Nothing? Doesn't that mean we can do something?"

"No we can't. I just..." Allen shook his head and turned around. "I'll have to take a rain check."

"No worries, boy. I'll take your word on that." Lavi gave Tyki a suspicious look as Allen disappeared.

"You have a thing for him?"

"Well, someone got boring. He's cute, not to mention polite. You just gave him four years of hell and that's why he's not kind to you."

"It was just a little joke!"

"A little joke that went too far." Tyki walked down the gravel driveway and towards his house.

One question remained on Lavi's mind: How far did that joke go?

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**Reviews are welcome! This story is probably going to be very long...I just hope I can finish it by the end of Laven week and if not, oh well! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I probably would've had this updated this yesterday if my sister hadn't bugged me all day! This is a Laven story, so the Poker Pair is only temporary! Thank you Lenore91, Jazebeth, DGrayManFanatic, sHiro, HipsterL, and ThisgirllovesAllenWalker for reviewing! I really appreciate it!**

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The next morning, Allen woke up to hear a very loud squealing noise. Allen sat up, rubbing his eyes and crawling out of bed. He walked over to the sound of where the squeaking was coming from. As he entered his study room, he identified the noise as mewling. Like a cat. There was only one cat that could be around this house. But, he couldn't quite tell where it was coming from. He looked beside the computer, where another window was placed and noticed it was open. It did have a screen, but the screen was torn open.

"Oh God...Timcanpy! Timcanpy?!" He heard a meow reply to his call. "Oh Lord, what are you doing out there?"

The roof of the garage was in a triangular shape, making it really hard to walk across. Timcanpy, his golden cat Cross gave him, was stuck. Allen panicked. There was no other way of getting him safely inside without going out there. _Well...here goes nothing..._Allen removed the screen and walked out gingerly. This seemed like more of a bad idea when he was actually out on the roof. _I've fallen off a roof before...I'll be fine if that happens now..._Allen said, trying to convince himself rather than knowing he'd survive.

"You, are a _very _bad kitty, Tim. This is a big no no." Allen told his cat as if it would respond to his liking. "If I fall...well you better hope I don't fall!" Allen's foot slipped and he fell on the roof, grabbing a hold of the point. "...I just jinxed myself..." Allen muttered hoarsely. Allen crawled his way over to Timcanpy and held the kitten in his arms, petting it's stomach. "Don't _ever _do that again...now we just gotta get back. If worst comes to worst, I'll take the fall." Allen ran his hand through the kitten's fur.

Getting back was harder than going out because Allen was so focused on the window that he didn't look down at where he was walking. Hopefully, karma didn't hate him too much. He couldn't really think of anything he'd done wrong recently. He did cheat in Poker a few nights before for extra money, but it was for a good cause! They were all teaming up on him anyways...wait...did he even believe in karma? Isn't karma not real? As if that thought had pissed karma off, Allen lost his footing and started rolling down the roof.

Then, a miracle happened.

It was just a few minutes ago that Lavi had left his house to apologize to Allen and maybe take him out to show that he really did mean that he was sorry and they should just be good neighbors. He didn't expect the teenager falling from the sky at all. Neither did he expect an angry kitten clinging onto his head. He opened his arms to get the golden fuzzball off his head when something landed in them perfectly. Lavi looked down and the two blinked at each other. He saw Allen's face turn _really _red and the boy started stuttering. Lavi gave him a cheesy grin and set him down.

"Oh my God...I almost died..." Allen shuddered and shakily walked back to his front porch to sit down and take in all that had just happened. He was rolling off the roof, Lavi saved him and Tim, he was _alive! _Oh Lord, he was alive! Thank God...he was alive! Yes, he was alive.

"Um, if ya don't mind me asking, neighbor, what were you doing on the roof?" A light bulb had to have gone off somewhere from the look on Allen's face. His face contorted into anger and Lavi was quite worried it was him that Allen was mad at. Allen stormed over towards Lavi and raised his hands. Lavi flinched away and felt a weight lifted off of him. He peeked open his only good eye and watched as Allen glared at a shameful kitten.

"Bad Tim! You are not getting any treats for a week!" The cat expertly gave his owner the puppy dog eyes, despite the fact that he was a cat, not a dog. And boy was he _good _at it. Lavi watched very amused as Allen's glare dropped and he hugged the kitten. "Don't _ever _do that again! Geez, you're just as troublesome as Cross." That name was a little familiar to Lavi, though he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Allen put Timcanpy on the ground and embarrassingly walked over to Lavi, blushing. Lavi grinned cheekily at him. Allen sighed and gave Lavi a slight bow. "Thank you." Lavi was surprised for the fact that Allen bowed, but dismissed it briefly.

"You're very welcome! Actually...I wonder what you can do to repay me...maybe take a few years of that grudge off?" Allen gave him a disbelieving look and bit his lip.

If he ever had the grudge disappear...he would fall in love with Lavi all over again—and he definitely didn't want to do that. Lavi was popular in school and Allen was a nerd. There was no way a relationship between them could ever work out. Even if Allen did fall in love with Lavi, Lavi probably wouldn't like him that way...and if it ever could work out, Lavi would eventually see his arm and break his heart by leaving. It was like that with everyone who became his friend.

"I..." Allen looked away and bit the inside of his lip some more. _Then again, if I only take a little bit off each time, I'll never fall in love with him...I guess it couldn't hurt... _"Fine, one year." Lavi pouted.

"What?! But that's like three more years to go!" Allen studied his nails rather than looking at Lavi.

"I could always lower-"

"No! One year is perfectly fine!" Lavi held up his hands and flailed them about. "So, are you doing anything today?" Allen blinked and ran the gears in his mind effectively. Let's see there was eat breakfast, feed Timcanpy, do something to occupy himself, eat lunch, feed Timcanpy, do something to occupy himself, eat dinner, feed Timcanpy, do something to occupy himself, eat a snack, not give Timcanpy a treat, talk to Fou, go to bed.

"Uh..." Allen sweat dropped. He _really _needed to get a hobby...or a job. Then again, he could always take that rain check Tyki offered him. "Hm...I might just go out with Tyki today, but other than that...no idea." Lavi rose an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to go out with that guy? He could try something and from what I've observed, you don't like to be touched a lot." Allen narrowed his eyes.

"Well, I have to go out with him sometime, I promised." Lavi sweat dropped.

"Oh! You're one of _those _guys."

"What do you mean one of _those _guys?" Allen felt a bit insulted that he was separated out from everyone else.

"Goody two shoes." Lavi waved his finger in front of Allen's face. Allen pushed the finger down.

"Excuse me?"

"You always have to do the good things, and you don't ever do anything wrong! That's your problem bean sprout-"

"-Allen-"

"-you need to relax! Stop being so uptight all the time and break some rules! It feels great!"

"But-"

"You're like an adult now, you can do whatever the hell you want! Why waste it being a good boy?" Allen felt a bit intimidated by Lavi's requests. "Have you ever drank alcohol before?" Allen made a disgruntled face at Lavi. _Hell_ _no. _Cross had gotten drunk so many times and wasted away all his money on that and cigarettes.

"No."

"Have you ever smoked?"

"No..." Damn, the way Lavi was smirking was just ticking the younger off.

"Have you ever done drugs?"

"No!" Allen definitely looked offended that time.

"You need to be your age, man! Go break rules and shit! Hell, have you even cursed before?"

"...yes..."

"Really? I find that doubtful." Allen looked away.

"Believe what you want."

"No, no, no! You're not supposed to—ugh! You have to stand up for yourself as well! Where's all that self-esteem, man?" Lavi punched Allen's arm playfully and Allen backed away from him. _What self-esteem? You kind of ruined that for me..._

"I just...grew up differently than others." That sure was an understatement. That threw Lavi for a loop as he thought about what Tyki had said yesterday about Lavi giving him four years of hell. Allen was practically gnawing on his lip from thought. He was usually tense around others...and Lavi had a point...but he just couldn't bring himself to trust many people his age. Not since high school anyways.

"You're gay, right?" Allen instantly lit up in a rosy color. Why did Lavi have to ask such questions so bluntly?!

"Wh-what does that have to do with what we're talking about?!" Lavi barked a laugh at Allen's reaction.

"So, like, have you ever kissed someone before?" Allen didn't answer. "Have you even held hands with someone before? Family doesn't count either." Allen was still silent. "You're joking...okay, have you at least hugged someone before?" Allen looked away. It wasn't his fault he was like this! Everyone he tried to get close to would just insult him and walk off. That was when he started avoiding people rather than talking to them. Then they would get more violent around him. The only person that ever talked to him was Road, and barely her because she was a grade lower than he was.

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Okay! I've got a little challenge for you to help you with your haphephobia nonsense."

"My what?"

"You're afraid of people touching you, right? Well that's haphephobia, what would you say brought this on?" _I feel like I shouldn't explain to him that I was bullied throughout high school because of him...yeah, this is just too awkward..._

"I wouldn't say I'm afraid of _everyone _touching me..." Like when Cross would ruffle his hair once in a blue moon, he didn't mind. Road tended to hug him and it wasn't as bad as with everyone else and Fou...he could probably deal with hugging her in a friendship sort of way.

"Yeah, but mostly everyone. Like if I came up to you and hugged you, you'd be all like back the fuck up!" Allen blinked. That was...not quite put the right way. "You need to trust others more! That's your problem, man!"

"Apparently, I have many problems." Lavi's eyes widened at Allen's casual response.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't mean it that way, man! I'm sure if we just got to know each other, I could help you with your problems a bit more." Allen bit on his lip again, something he did quite often.

"I don't know if that would work out quite well."

"Awe, why not? I'm an awesome person!" Allen waited for Lavi to actually get it. Hello, Lavi was a popular 'awesome' kid who was good with all his classmates and well-known, while Allen was a bullied victim because of his pranks, how could he not get it?

Allen didn't want to be involved with Lavi, but at the same time, he did. Allen was mesmerized by Lavi. He had so much self-esteem and confidence. Not to mention the kid was a genius and good with flirting. He was one of the cool kids that would always be considered awesome despite their flaws. If Lavi had been put in Allen's shoes and been who Allen was, he would probably be teased for his eye. But he wasn't, he was much more confident in himself than Allen was. It pained Allen to admit that Lavi was one of the people that he always dreamed of becoming. Had it not been Mana's words saying to be himself, Allen might have been able to adapt like Lavi did, what with all his sarcastic remarks and assurance with Fou.

"Dude, are you still in there?" Lavi waved a hand in front of Allen's face. Allen caught it and immediately let go of Lavi's wrist.

"Y-yeah, just thinking..."

"What's there to think about? C'mon, lets be friends, ne? If not, I'm going to start singing the Why Can't We Be Friends song!"

"Do that if you wish. You still have to get rid of my grudge before I can trust you." Allen just wanted an excuse to end this conversation. There was no way Lavi would be able to get rid of Allen's stubborn grudge against him. Allen wouldn't let him. Lavi's confidence couldn't possibly overcome his will, could it? Just how much did confidence can one person hold? Certainly...Lavi didn't have that much confidence did he?

"You better be ready then! I'm going to dissolve that grudge whether you want me to or not!" Allen looked behind him to see Lavi giving him that familiar charming grin and a wave. Even after Lavi left inside the house, Allen still stood on his front porch, staring at where Lavi used to be. That charming grin was still bolted in his mind and it didn't want to get wrenched out.

"I guess we'll only have to see about that." Allen said softly to himself. Timcanpy looked up and mewled at him. "Ah, right, breakfast time. Let's go, Tim." Allen turned the knob and cursed silently to himself.

Locked.

"God dang it." Allen muttered and walked to the side of the house, dismembering the screen from his living room window. He pushed the window up and threw Timcanpy in and crawled in afterwards.

Note to self: Get an extra key and store it in a place no one can find it.

Allen unlocked his door and stepped outside to put the screen back on. He didn't want Timcanpy getting the joy out of leaving the house whenever he wanted to go knock up some stray cat. He did _not _want to deal with kittens. Maybe sometime in the very far future, but he was going to be busy with college in a few months with a job on top of that. He wouldn't have the time to deal with that. He walked back inside, humming to himself. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy his breakfast for sure. He took out some eggs, raw bacon, bread, butter, pancake mix, sugar, and milk. Licking his lips, Allen began to make breakfast.

Halfway through his cooking, or half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Allen couldn't just drop what he was doing to go answer the door, but he wouldn't want anyone to see him so...messy. He was pretty sure that there was pancake mix sticking to his face and some flour in his hair. His apron was littered with stains. Let's just say that when Allen cooks, he's seriously serious about it.

"Come in!" He shouted anyways. He just hoped that it wasn't a stranger that had come to rob him blind...then again...why would a burglar knock? Okay, now he felt stupid.

"What's cooking, boy?" Tyki. Oh God, now he was going to be embarrassed. This beautiful guy was going to see what a mess he made of himself. He hoped that he wasn't too messy. Tyki smirked when he saw Allen busy with making himself breakfast. "Need some help eating all of that, boy?"

"If you're hungry you can have some." Allen answered, turning the pan off that he made pancakes in. He made a few omelets full of cheese and others full of different varieties of food. Tyki certainly felt like he was getting ready to eat at a five star restaurant from the looks of the food. Allen finished up and turned off all the burners on the stove. He put all the items on the plates accordingly and set them down on the table. He walked over to his cupboard and grabbed two plates, setting one down in front of Tyki and the other in front of him. As Allen piled the food onto his plate, he tried making a friendly conversation with the man in front of him. "So, Tyki, you don't have work today?"

"I do, but I'm working tonight instead of the afternoon today."

"When did you learn how to cook?"

"...twelve..." Tyki tried thinking about how long ago that was and why Allen would start cooking then. That was 6 years ago...which is also when Neah moved...which is when Mana died. _Oh. _Tyki piled a few foods on his plate as well and took a bite of his cheesy omelet.

"Damn..." Tyki muttered with surprise. "Are you planning on going into culinary arts?"

"You mean college? I don't know what I'm doing first yet, but I'd like to do the best I can."

"You'll do great." Allen blushed at the compliment.

"Th-thank you..."

"So, are you ever going to take that rain check?" Allen's head perked up; he and Lavi had just finished talking about that not too long ago.

"Of course. I said I would, so I will."

"Really? Lavi didn't say anything bad about me, did he?" Allen shook his head slowly.

"No...why?"

"No reason, it just seemed like the stunt he pulled earlier would affect you to the extent that you were indebted to him." Allen had his fork in his mouth as he tilted his head. "What were you doing on the roof anyways?" Allen's jaw dropped and he dropped his fork in surprise. _Oh God he saw that! _Allen blushed and picked up his fork.

"M-my cat climbed out the window...I had to get him..."

"Ah, you're cat?" Allen nodded.

"Yes, he was Cross' before, but Cross didn't want to tale care of him so he gave him to me."

"You mean Timcanpy?" Allen looked at him in disbelief.

"How did you..."

"As I said before, Cross knows Neah and I know Neah, so yes I know the infamous cat that was a walking fuzz of trouble." _Why...am I so nervous to ask? How does Tyki know who Neah is? I don't want to be rude...and I just feel guilty if I actually have to ask about my uncle... _"So, since we're going out today, what do you suggest we do?" _Ah crap, he changed the subject. _Allen shrugged in response, still wondering about how he was going to ask Tyki about Neah. "Oh c'mon, there has to be something you want to do, we don't need to go out and eat at all."

"Hm...I haven't been here long, so I really don't know what to do..."

"How about we go to the movies?" _Isn't that what people do when they're dating? Is he implying something by this? _Allen blushed a bit at that.

"They play movies in the morning here?"

"Mhmm, and if you don't want to do that, you can always meet my family." _Somehow I have a bad feeling about this._

"How do you know Road?" Allen asked, he didn't feel rude asking that.

"She's my niece...why?" _She's all for you and her uncle hooking up. _Lenalee's words echoed in her mind. _Oh...my...God._

"N-no reason..." Allen blushed, looking away. _Maybe she has more than one uncle..._

"I know of your relation to Neah by the way." _What's his point? _"And you're probably wondering how I know him."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't-"

"He's my brother." Allen processed that for a moment. So wait...Tyki was his uncle too? Tyki didn't look like Neah at all. "By engagement." Allen's brain started to hurt with all his thinking. "He's getting engaged to Road." Tyki couldn't help but smirk at Allen's reaction. His eyes were bulging and since Allen had a higher than average eyeball size, it was quite hilarious. "You didn't know?"

"N-no, I didn't..."

"It tends to be like that with all of our family. But we're not blood related." _Okay, he's doing definitely implying something there. _"I didn't think Neah would cut off all ties with you, though." Allen gnawed on his inner lip, causing it to swell and irritate a bit.

"Ah..." Allen didn't even know what to say. He hadn't had any contact with Neah since he was 12. He remembered that the last time he saw Neah, he still had brown hair. Neah probably wouldn't be able to recognize him at all now.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I would completely understand, although we all are wondering how Mana passed. You know, his last words and such. Not to mention we can't find his will." Allen clenched his jaw to keep the tears away. He _hated _talking about Mana. "Neah also mentioned that he at least wanted a memento of him to remember him by, you know?" Allen didn't even _look _at Mana's stuff. It just hurt so much whenever he thought about it. Was that the only reason Tyki was flirting with him? To get stuff for Neah. Allen stood up and walked upstairs. Tyki was a bit confused and waited for Allen to return. When Allen came back, he had a box in his hands and pushed it towards Tyki.

"I...don't know what's all in it...its his things...but I didn't pack it...if the will isn't in there then Cross knows wh-where its at..." Tyki could see tears rimmed around his eyes. Tyki smiled at him and stood up, walking over to Allen and hugging him. This just made Allen unable to hold his tears back any longer.

"Thank you, Allen. I'm sure Neah will be glad. Well, enough of all this depressing news and how about you come over and meet some of my...or your family. Don't worry, Neah's not there...I don't think you'd be able to confront him get."

"I don't know...I think I feel safer here...I... I mean...not that I..." Tyki chuckled.

"I understand. I'll be back in a little bit if you don't mind. I think I need to call Neah." Tyki pulled away and grabbed the box while waving to Allen as he walked out the door. Allen panicked. Would Tyki bring someone back with him? Allen wasn't ready to meet anyone yet. He was just now recovering from giving away Mana's stuff. Who could he possibly turn to at a time like this?

Road was Tyki's niece, Fou was in Asia, Lavi...well, he wasn't going to turn to Lavi...the only other person he could think of was Cross and there was no way in _hell _Allen would turn to him. He would just make him buy him alcohol and cigarettes. Allen had already spent enough money yesterday. Wasn't there someone else? There just had to be _someone..._He was too late though, there was a knock heard on the door. _Oh geez...I hope they don't hate me. _Allen walked over to the door and was quite puzzled when it wasn't Tyki at the door...

It was Lenalee.

"Good morning, Lenalee."

"Morning, Allen!" She said brightly and her eyes widened a bit when she smelled the food in the kitchen. "What's that smell?"

"Ah, I was um...cooking."

"Typical gay guy..." She whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing! You were saying? Whatcha cooking in there?"

"Breakfast?"

"No really? I never would've guessed...but I mean...can I have some." Allen blinked.

"Huh?" Lenalee sighed and leaned against the door frame.

"Well, I was cooking some pancakes and I left Lavi in charge of them...he burned them...and I don't even think they're edible."

"Oh sure, I just finished." Allen let her in and grabbed Tyki's plate, rinsing it off in the sink.

"Someone else was here?"

"Mhmm, Tyki, he lives across the street." There was a gleam in Lenalee's eye that Allen felt a bit uncomfortable with.

"Really~?"

"Uh yes...?"

"So...I have a favor to ask of you..." _Oh great, now what? _

"What is it?" Lenalee twirled a finger through her long pigtail.

"Well, Komui and I have to go to some science fair thing but...I'm afraid to leave Lavi and Kanda at the house alone...can you like, I dunno, babysit them?" Allen narrowed his eyes at her.

"You do realize that they're older than I am, right?"

"Yeah, well, last time I left them alone, they were throwing flaming marshmallows at each other...did I mention that we didn't even _have _marshmallows?" Allen gave her an incredulous look while the gleam in her eyes deepened but were concealed with her kind smile. Lavi told her about the incident between him and Allen and while she agreed that he shouldn't have done that, she still wanted Allen and Lavi to become friends and if possible, Kanda. Allen dealt with _Cross _so maybe he can help with Kanda too. Her plan was working out perfectly.

"Well, I dunno...have you asked them what they think about this?"

"Oh c'mon! Please?" Allen thought back to the fact that Tyki and his family were coming over.

"I guess it couldn't hurt..."

"Great! Thanks so much!" Tyki was across the street on his porch, watching as Lenalee pushed him out the door and into their house. He couldn't tell whether or not Allen was struggling against her or not. "Oh, and by the way, it's Kanda's birthday, so make sure you take him and Lavi out to eat! I, meanwhile, am going to jack the rest of your breakfast! See ya later, Allen~!" Allen watched her carry food out of his house, locking his door. _Great...now I have to climb through the window again! As long as no one calls me bean sprout, I think I might survive this..._

"Whatcha doin' here, bean sprout?"

Today was going to be a _long _day.

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**Reviews are welcome. Flames shall be used for the marshmallows that Lavi and Kanda throw at each other! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one had a little less words than the others, but length-wise it was longer if that counts :) Do any of you think that the story is going too slow? Too fast? Average speed? I need your complaints too people! ^-^ And _no _Tyki is not gonna be creepy like nearly every other fic makes him (which is quite understandable) but he _will _be a perv ;)**

* * *

Allen sat on the couch across from Kanda, ignoring Lavi's questions. All he had to do, was sit and watch them until Lenalee returned, right? That's all...but...when was Lenalee even coming back? And where did she even go? Allen couldn't remember and he was getting quite agitated that Lavi kept on bugging him no matter how many glares he sent at the red head. Did this guy even know that it was his best friend's birthday today? _How old is Kanda anyways? _Allen wondered. He didn't want to intrude on what was left of the man's peace. He did look like he wanted to murder someone though...that someone being a certain red head. _If they don't get along very well...then how did they become friends? _Allen shook his head, he needed to stop thinking about these things and just make sure they didn't kill each other.

"Awe, but why not? I'm hungry?"

Allen blinked.

_Crap...did I just answer one of his questions? _

"Huh?"

"...I just asked you if you could cook us some breakfast...and you shook your head no...right?" Allen frowned.

"Ah, sorry, I wasn't listening." Kanda snorted and Lavi pouted.

"Why are you here anyways?"

"Lenalee sent me here."

"For what?"

"To make sure you two 'don't kill each other' or something like that."

"What?! I would never kill my best friend!" Lavi glomped the man, whose tick mark just got thicker. _I think this friendship might just be one sided..._Allen felt his cell phone buzz and saw that it was a message from Cross. He was real tempted to just delete right then, but opened it up instead.

**Cross: Tlkd 2 Tyki. He says u gave him a box. **

The grammar...oh God such terrible grammar...Cross went to school didn't he?

**Sent: Okay, so what? **

**Cross: Call me. **

Allen was definitely tempted to just shut his phone off now. He glared at the phone, rising a few chuckles from Lavi—which went unnoticed. Allen stared at the phone for a long time, as if that would make the message disappear and erase itself. His eyes widened when a ringtone went off and Cross was actually calling him. _To answer or not to answer..._Allen clicked the send button and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, brat, who said you could give that perverted man that box?" Allen frowned and stood up and walked into the kitchen for a better signal.

"Who said I couldn't?" Allen retorted.

"Yeah, but he gave it to Neah, and Neah called me."

"Okay, so?"

"So, I don't want your damn uncle calling me when he should be calling you."

"What did he say?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Allen glared harder at the phone, cursing the person on the other side of the device.

"Not really." Allen smirked.

"Ha! You can't fool me, you wanna know, don't you?" Lavi peeked into the kitchen and watched as Allen twirled a strand of white hair around his index finger.

"Not really, it's not like Neah and I have talked in awhile..." A faraway look was in the younger's eyes.

"...true. He just said thank you is all. Though, I really don't know why he couldn't come tell you himself."

"I wonder..." Allen said half sarcastically. He was staring at the lock of white hair with slight interest.

"Don't play dumb, you need to talk to him you know."

"He'll talk to me when he's ready."

"Bullshit. He'll never have the balls to talk to you...you know, he doesn't blame you for what happened with your father."

"Sure." Allen didn't sound sure at all.

"I may not care for this kind of shit, but I know that if you two keep avoiding each other like this, shit is going to get difficult."

"Difficult for you, or us?"

"Everyone. Trust me on this brat, you two really need to talk."

"What does Neah think about that?"

"Who gives a fuck what Neah thinks about it! If you don't talk to him soon, I'll force you to."

"Good luck with that."

"Hey, you're talking to the man that trained you and took care of you-"

"When Neah couldn't-"

"-don't underestimate me."

"You don't even know where I live." Allen challenged.

"I'll find out."

"How do you propose you'll do that?"

"Fuck you." Allen grinned victoriously. "Wipe that grin off your face or I'll wipe it off for you!"

"I'm not grinning." Lavi sweat dropped. _Liar..._

"Sure you aren't, brat."

"So, why did you call again?"

"Right, if you do anymore favors for Neah, then you better tell Tyki to tell Neah to call _you _instead of me."

"...I dunno..."

"Brat. If you don't tell him, I'll tell him."

"Go right on ahead, it's not as if he'd call me because you told him to. If he doesn't want to call, he won't call. Simple as that. If I do him a favor next time just tell him to stop calling you or something."

"It's not that simple!"

"You're just making things difficult."

"No, _you're _making things difficult by avoiding Neah!"

"I'm not avoiding him! He's avoiding me."

"I'm pretty sure you're avoiding him. You even moved out of my house!"

"I moved out of the house because I'm an adult now."

"Psh, you're not an adult until you drink a beer." Allen scowled.

"I'm pretty sure that's not even-"

"Baka Usagi! Shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you!" Allen and Cross blinked.

"Who the hell was that?"

"Ugh, I've got to go..."

"Hey, who was that?"

"Neighbor."

"Who is he talking to?"

"His friend? Look, I'm hanging up now."

"Whatever." _Click. _Allen walked back into the kitchen. He left for about five minutes and they're already getting at it?

"_What _is going on in here?"

"That damned idiot won't shut up about food!"

"I'm hungry~!" Lavi whined, clinging to the irritated man. Lavi was either really starving, or suicidal. Allen guessed the latter.

"SHUT UP! Moyashi! Cook this idiot some food or I'll shove my sword down his throat!" Lavi wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, Yu-chan, I didn't know that you swing that way...maybe you and bean sprout can hook up!" Both Allen and Kanda flared red from anger. Kanda pulled out a random sword and pointed it at Lavi's throat. Lavi held up his hands in surrender. "Just kidding!"

"As if _I _would even _consider _dating someone like _him!"_

Allen rose a curious eyebrow but shrugged and walked into the kitchen. He opened and slammed several cupboards before bringing out a pan and opened the fridge, pulling out a few or more eggs and cracking them into a bowl. He turned the knob heat up and looked through the fridge some more before pulling out some butter, ham and cheese. He proceeded over to the other cupboards and pulled out salt and pepper. Allen then spread the butter over the hot pan and Lavi wobbled over to the dining table in the kitchen, watching Allen cook very curiously. Allen dumped the eggs in the pan and skillfully made Lavi a ham and cheese omelet.

"You're not allergic to anything, are you?"

"Pepper." Allen nodded and pushed the pepper away, sprinkling a bit of salt on the egg. It was only a few minutes later after Allen served Lavi a steaming hot omelet. He also gave him two buttered pieces of toast.

"There, now stop whining."

"Food! Food! Food! Food! Food!" Lavi chanted childishly as Allen placed the plate down. Allen gave him a curious look before heading back into the living room and sitting down across from Kanda again. Kanda sniffed the air.

"What the hell did you make in there?"

"Just an egg." Allen said simply, undermining his cooking. "Why, you want some too?" Kanda didn't reply.

"Che, as if I want food you cooked." Allen frowned, why did this man hate him so much? He didn't remember upsetting the man in any way.

"Well, there's some extra in the kitchen if you want some. Oh, and Happy Birthday by the way." Kanda narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Allen.

"How did you know it was my birthday?"

"Lenalee told me."

"What are you two best friends or something?" He growled.

"Not that I know of." Now what was he supposed to do with these two for the rest of the day. He was a bit worried about leaving Lavi in the kitchen alone since he was such a troublemaker. Troublemakers _aren't _silent. Lavi was silent and not only was it unnerving Allen but Kanda as well.

"Did he die or something?!" Allen smiled a little, but not as fully as he would've if they were friends.

"I'll go check on him." Allen walked into the kitchen to find Lavi on his knees in front of the plate of omelet. Allen was deciding whether to ask Lavi if he was okay or to just leave the room.

It almost looked like he was...

"What are you doing?"

"This food...is the best food I've ever tasted...so wonderful!"

...worshiping the food.

Allen could barely hold laughter in as he watched a black cat with light blue eyes walk over to the plate and start eating the food. He couldn't help himself any longer when the kitten started nibbling on it. He started into a chuckling fit before he actually started laughing. Lavi was quite concerned but stayed in his position.

"Th-that c-cat is...eating your food..." Allen said between laughs.

"What?!" Lavi looked up. "Noooooo! What have you done?!" Lavi cried, snatching the plate away from the kitten. The kitten looked really ticked off that Lavi took it's food away and lunged at the suspect. Allen started laughing harder when the kitten scratched Lavi's face. Lavi dropped the plate and it shattered on the ground. "YU! YOU'RE CAT IS KILLING ME! HELP!" Allen didn't find Kanda to be the cat type—or better yet like any animals.

"Good." Kanda said from the living room, smirking to himself.

"Bad Mugen! Bad! Get off me!" Lavi pried the kitten off his beautiful face and placed it where the omelet laid on the floor. Lavi started balling his eyes out. "Noooooo! Now I can't eat it! What have you done?! You spoiled my breakfast!" Lavi howled.

"I made more than just one, you know." Allen gestured to the plate full of omelets on the counter. Lavi looked all starry-eyed at the plate. "I'm in heaven!" He started towards the plate when he stepped on a piece of the shattered plate. He shouted for real that time and fell backwards on Allen, who was still laughing. Allen wasn't laughing anymore when they both landed in the pile of glass. They both cried out in pain. Kanda grumbled and walked into the kitchen.

"What the fuck are you two doing in here? Well it sucks to be you." Kanda said once he saw them on the floor, all bloodied up from the glass sinking into their skin.

"Yu! Help me!" Lavi cried, holding his hands out towards Kanda. Kanda just looked away and walked out of the kitchen. _What a loving friend. _Allen thought sarcastically.

Allen pressed his right hand against the floor to push himself up. He gulped at the sight of blood. It wasn't only his blood either. Glass was dangerous. Giving Lavi food was dangerous. Giving Lavi food on a glass plate was _very _dangerous, Allen learned. Allen winced as he pulled most of the large shards out of his arm. He swept the pieces of glass away from where they were sitting and crawled out to safety. Luckily, none of the glass had gotten into his left arm. He helped Lavi out of the catastrophe and went to get a first aid kit in the bathroom. He returned and opened it up.

"Awe, are you going to treat me?" Allen glared at him and he shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it." Lavi took his shirt off and threw it on Kanda's head. Kanda glared at Lavi while he was cradling his kitten in his arms.

"You're so dead if even a splinter of glass gets in her foot." Lavi grinned and Allen blushed at Lavi's well-toned body. His wasn't so bad from Cross' constant training, but Lavi's was actually a tan color instead of pale like Allen's. He took out some tweezers and removed the pieces of glass as Lavi would wince and sometimes mutter in pain or flinch away.

"Ow!" He shouted as Allen grabbed a thick piece out of his side.

"Sorry..." Allen whispered, too focused on his work to make sure Lavi felt okay. Lavi watched him work skillfully on him, noticing that Allen was bleeding as well—maybe even worse. While Lavi had only gotten hurt on his arm and his side, Allen had gotten hurt on his leg, right arm, and side. Lavi bit his lip to hold back his comment. Allen finished and wrapped Lavi up accordingly.

"Awesome! I feel much better already! You should probably fix yourself up as well." Lavi suggested and Allen nodded.

He first worked on his leg pulling the glass out with the tweezers. Lavi stared at a certain scar on Allen's leg. It was around his thigh and looked as if something sharp had dug into his leg. Allen wrapped it up and only held up his shirt instead of stripping like Lavi did. Allen winced a few times, but no shouts came from him. Now was the most interesting part. Allen's right arm...there had to be some reason he wore gloves right? Like he was trying to cover something up! But, Lavi felt a little disappointed when Allen's right arm was just a regular arm. Kanda had also been watching. _It looks like he's done this more than once..._Kanda observed.

Lavi watched closely as Allen had on the most calm face he could manage. Wasn't he scared that a piece of glass might have pierced a vein? Lavi's eyes trailed down the boy's arm to his wrists and not only were his eyes widening at the small scars that were aligned together on his wrist. Staring at the scars made Lavi grow uncomfortable second by second. _He...he didn't do those on purpose, did he? He doesn't seem like the type to do something like that..._Kanda, even though he didn't show it, was also unnerved by the scars on the boy's wrists. _Fuck no...he didn't fucking do that because of what the damn rabbit did...he better not have fucking did that. _

Allen finished and pulled his sleeve down. He sighed, a bit exhausted after that scene. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. It was around eleven now and he didn't know when Lenalee would return. He didn't even know her number. He would've asked one of the guy's for her number, but then he'd have to text her...and then she would know his number. He was only doing her a favor this one time because he wouldn't want rumors flying around that his neighbors killed each other and he didn't watch over them. That was his reason for helping Lenalee out, wasn't it? It's not like it was some of her fault that he was bullied, she probably had no idea that he even was bullied.

They all sat in silence. Great. Now this was all awkward. Allen looked at Kanda expectantly.

"What the fuck are you looking at, Moyashi?"

"My name is Allen; and it's _your _birthday. What do _you _want to do?" Lavi also looked over at Kanda.

"Stop fucking looking at me like that!" Kanda said, quite angered. Lavi barked a laugh.

"Oh come on, Yu, isn't there at least _one thing _you wanted for your birthday?"

"For you to leave me the hell alone!"

"C'mon, Yu, don't be that way~!"

"Although I'd hate to agree, Lavi does have a point. I don't want to sit here all day babysitting you without getting no entertainment out of it."

"Babysitting?" Lavi questioned. "Wait...Lenalee told _you _to babysit _us? _You do realize that we're like way older than you, right?" Allen rolled her eyes.

"For one, you're only three years older than me and two, that's what I told her! But she insisted on me coming over because you two would most likely kill each other with flaming marshmallows or something like that."

"She's _still _not over that?! We...well _I _apologized for like a million times! Jeez, she sure can hold a grudge...reminds me of a certain someone I know." Lavi replied, giving Allen a look. Allen scowled back.

"Can we just decide on what we're doing today?" They both looked at Kanda again.

"Ugh, let's go to the mall and hang out or something, but I expect to be getting something out of it, got it Moyashi?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Allen grumbled, walking out the front door. "I'll drive."

"Awesome!" Lavi exclaimed. "I've been wanting to check out your car for like days now!"

"I've only lived here for a day, Lavi."

"One and a half." Lavi corrected.

"Same difference."

"But how can it be the same if it's different?"

"Shut up!" Both Kanda and Allen shouted at him at the same time.

"Right now, though, I just think Lavi and I need to change. I bet people would be quite scared if we came to the mall with blood all over our clothes."

"Ah...yeah, you're probably right...so, I'll go change into something decent, and then we'll all meet out here in this hot hell we call outside. Don't try and sneak away now, bean sprout!"

"It's Allen." Allen replied as he left to his house. He didn't get very far before he ran into Tyki. "Tyki! Ah, I just wanted to talk to you too!" Tyki smiled. "You see, I actually have to take Kanda and Lavi to come to the mall for Kanda's birthday."

"Why do you have to when you're not even their friends?" Allen scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, well, Lenalee doesn't want them to kill each other and I don't mind doing a favor for Lenalee. She seems nice."

"Lenalee Lee? Oh yes, she's one of Road's best friends—very trustworthy." Tyki assured. "Are you sure you feel comfortable going with them alone?"

"Oh...well, it's not like...I really...um..."

"What if I come with you?" Allen smiled.

"I'm sure it'd be okay." Tyki nodded and followed Allen into the house.

"I've been wanting to ask this for awhile now, boy, but...is that blood?"

"Ah...yes...I fell on some glass. I'm fine though." He smiled at Tyki reassuringly. "I was actually just coming over here to change." Tyki frowned.

"Lavi didn't pull a prank on you, did he?" Allen shook his head. "He dropped a plate and we both fell in the mess. Really, though, I'm perfectly fine." Allen said as he walked upstairs to get dressed in his room. He dressed in a dark blue button up long sleeve and black jeans, gloves following afterwards. He slipped on some regular converses and walked out with Tyki. "I'm really sorry about this morning and all."

"It wasn't a problem at all."

"...did Neah call you?"

"No, but he called Cross." Allen chuckled bravely under his breath. He had actually been getting more comfortable around Tyki since they first met.

"Really?" Tyki muttered something under his breath about 'cowards'. Allen just shrugged it off.

"Oh _hell _no. He isn't coming with us." Kanda declared, pointing at Tyki. "I've had enough of that fucker." Allen frowned.

"You apparently don't want to go to the mall then." Kanda opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. He growled under his breath and hopped in the backseat along with Lavi. Lavi didn't say anything at all as Allen climbed in the driver's seat and climbed in the driver's seat. It was a little after a few second that Lavi started fantasizing over Allen's car.

"Whoa, this thing is so awesome! It can play like 6 different CD's...it has seat warmers...holy shit, how could you even afford this?!" Allen pulled out of the driveway as he spoke.

"It used to be my father's car. He gave it to me..." _before he died..._Allen thought almost miserably. Tyki shared a sympathetic look with him.

"Epic!"

"It's about half an hour before we actually get there."

"Good, then you all should shut up so I can take a nap." Allen couldn't help but chuckle.

"Always the optimist, aren't you?"

"Shut up, Moyashi." Allen frowned at the nickname.

"My name is Allen."

"Whatever..." Kanda closed his eyes and eased up as Allen drove towards downtown. Tyki thought he should probably start a friendly conversation.

"So, boy, if you get into college, what are you thinking about majoring in?"

"Not sure, really. I'd like to do more than just a few majors though."

"Culinary Arts should definitely be one of them." Tyki commented.

"Yeah. I've also been thinking about music and writing."

"So basically everything in the arts? No logic?" Allen scowled.

"I don't really like learning." _Completely opposite of Lavi..._Tyki thought.

"What about dancing?" Allen suddenly slammed on the brakes and stared over at Tyki in suspicion. "What?"

"You haven't talked with Cross lately, have you?"

"No?" Allen started driving again, with a few complaints from Kanda in the back.

"Definitely _not _dancing."

"What, are you not good at it or something?" Allen blushed.

"Ah, quite the opposite...never...never dancing." Allen shook his head furiously.

"I see..." Tyki smirked, planning on asking Cross about Allen's actions later.

A few random conversations later, Allen was parked outside the Ark. Kanda woke up and grumbled as he got out of the car. Then again, when is Kanda not grumbling? Lavi started yapping Kanda's ear off about why they would name a mall: The Ark. Allen was also curious about this, but didn't join in on the conversation. Allen didn't realize what kind of mistake he had just made by taking Lavi to the mall.

Today was going to be _more _than just a long day.

* * *

**Thank you to HipsterL, ThatOneGingerKid, MidoriHikari00, and DGrayManFanatic for reviewing! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**If you're having some trouble reading the dialogue, I apologize. For me, it's usually just back and forth like Allen, Lavi, Allen, Lavi. For each quote, for example:**

"**Good morning, Lavi!"**

"**Sup, bean sprout?"**

**"My name is-"**

**"Allen, yeah, I get it."**

**If Tyki ever talks in this, he's usually saying _boy _after he talks. I hope this cleared up some problems, if not, I'm sorry and I'll try to make it more understandable in the future.**

***Oh, and I kinda added in a character from High School of the Dead-I hope you don't mind XD It's Saeko (Pronouced psycho) and I really think if someone crossovered -man and HSOTD, Saeko and Kanda could be like, twins or something XD. But Saeko nor -man belong to me!***

* * *

They had only been in the mall for half an hour when Lavi had suddenly vanished. Allen needed to find him quick before he got into any trouble. Kanda was complaining that he wasn't getting anything and Tyki was simply checking Allen out as he pushed the shopping cart around. Allen just hoped that Lavi didn't go up the escalator because it would be a lot more harder to find him if he went up the moving stairways. Allen would never say it himself, but he thought going up and down the elevators were quite fun when he was younger. But Lavi was an adult now and such childish things shouldn't please him...right? Allen remembered when Lavi was chanting food earlier and making a big deal out of it. He sweat dropped. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

That was what Allen always liked about Lavi back in high school. His childish playfulness and his energetic happiness that cheered everyone up around him. Allen did have a grudge against Lavi for dumping that steaming pot on his head, but he could've forgiven him easily by now if he was who he used to be. Deep in his heart, he didn't know, he still loved Lavi—a lot. But, it was quite obvious from before when Lavi was saying that he shouldn't have said something about 'swinging that way' back when Lavi was following him around with his truck, so it was quite obvious that Lavi didn't 'swing that way' at all. Then again, Allen saw him with a bunch of different girlfriends, which is why he hurt so much, so he could classify Lavi as a womanizer.

He spotted said womanizer on an escalator and quickly pushed the trolley in Tyki's hands. Allen speed walked over to the escalator and didn't bother waiting for the moving stairs to take him up. He jogged up the stairs and caught Lavi by the arm. Lavi jumped and spun around to see a _very _angry bean sprout. Lavi grinned sheepishly and shrugged. Allen gave him a warning look and looked over at Tyki, waving. He pointed to a downstairs escalator port. Tyki nodded and they both met up there.

"Don't run off, Lavi, I have to keep an eye on you."

"What are you, my mom?"

"No, I'm your babysitter for the day, so behave."

"That's not even fair! Yu's not here!" Lavi whined. Allen stopped in his tracks.

"What?" Allen looked away for the Japanese man. "Where did he go?!"

"Beats me. He wouldn't tell me what he wanted at the mall a few days ago." Lavi grinned and Allen glared at him.

"Whatever, the less time we spend looking for him, the less time we're going to be here."

"Awe, you're no fun~!" Lavi whined, following behind sadly. "Can I at least push the shopping cart?"

"_No." _

"No fair..." Lavi whined and spotted something in the distance. He looked at Allen's back and sneaked away like a ninja. He only got a five second start when he heard Allen asking where he was at. Lavi quickly ran over to the object of his liking and took off with it. He pushed the black loading trolly and hopping on it. Many customers gave him disapproving looks. The rest of them were either girls, who were laughing, and old people, who were really laughing.

"Bean sprout~, watch out!" Allen and Tyki looked to their left to see Lavi knock over boxes and signs and heading straight for Allen. Tyki grabbed Allen's wrist and pulled him out of the way and into his arms, inwardly smirking. His heart was racing fast, that was _scary. _Allen didn't have any other choice this time. He thanked Tyki and walked over to Lavi with a hand on his hip. Lavi was grinning sheepishly. "What?"

"Where did you get that?" Allen asked in a demanding tone.

"Over there." Lavi pointed to where a bunch of boxes were piled up outside a store and a few confused men sat there, looking around. The security guards were staring at the camera's and laughing their butts off. Allen dragged Lavi by the wrist, which kind of tingled Allen's hand, and pulled the loading trolley with him. The men spotted them and frowned at the one that was grinning childishly. Their skin sort of looked like Tyki's and one of their name tags said Devit and Jasdero.

Jasdero had long blond hair and piercings on his lips that had a thread running through them. Allen winced as they looked _very _painful. How did this guy expect to eat? He had golden eyes and a headband around his head with a tiny glowing light bulb hanging off it. He was wearing thick eyeliner, which Devit wore even more of. Devit had long black hair with a purple tint, sort of like Tyki's but lighter, and golden eyes as well. Allen thought he looked quite good looking as well, even with the heavy applied make up.

"I'm so sorry about this." Allen apologized, bowing. He glared at Lavi before giving them their trolley back. He pulled out handcuffs and linked one on Lavi's hand before pulling him over to the shopping cart and linking the other to the shopping cart. Lavi's jaw dropped.

"What the hell!? You carry handcuffs with you?! What are you some kind of kinky gay kid?" Allen smacked him upside the head.

"No, you arse, my guardian was a cop."

"Say that again!"

"Say what again?"

"That...that curse word!" Allen blushed.

"Shut up. Let's go, Tyki." Tyki gave Lavi and amused look. Lavi glared back and pouted as he was dragged along with the shopping cart. The twins meanwhile watched as Tyki followed them, staring directly at Allen as he scolded Lavi.

"You don't think that's Allen, do you?" Devit asked. Jasdero bobbed his head up and down, nodding.

"Yeah! Tyki is checking him out! Yeah, must be Allen!"

"He looks...different from what I expected." Devit said, shrugging.

The security guards were laughing so hard at the fact that Allen had handcuffed Lavi to the shopping trolley.

"C'mon, bean sprout! Isn't this like illegal or something?"

"Nope, and even if it was I have certain rights. Aha! I found him!"

"Certain rights? What the hell do you—ow~!" Lavi whined as Allen pushed the cart faster over to where Kanda was staring at a sharp sword that was on sale.

"Kanda! Why'd you run off like that?" Allen asked as he got closer. Kanda turned around to glare at Allen, only to see him dragging a handcuffed Lavi with him. He actually chuckled a bit, smirking.

"I was looking around. Today's my birthday." Kanda pointed at the sword. "Get me it." Allen looked at him incredulously. The sword was half off and still around one hundred dollars.

"What would you need a sword for?!" Kanda smirked and Lavi paled.

"No! Don't do it!"

"Today _is _his birthday..." Allen said, grabbing his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled out four twenties and two tens. "I'm not paying tax. Tax on swords is too expensive." Kanda shrugged while Lavi was wondering how exactly he knew that. By habit, Allen put his wallet back in his pocket. Cross often forcefully stole his wallet, but when Allen put it in his back pocket he wouldn't _dare _touch it.

"Whatever, I'm not _that _broke."

They were waiting outside the store for a long time. Allen was starting to get impatient and he _never _got impatient unless it was with Cross. He sighed and looked at Tyki and then at Lavi.

"Watch on him, please." Allen said as he walked inside the store.

"What do you mean is twenty fucking dollars for tax?! That's a rip off!"

"That's how swords sell, get used to it."

Allen was quite surprised at the cashier's looks. She looked almost exactly like Kanda but her hair was more purple and her bangs weren't cut straight across. Other than that, they even had the same hairstyle! She had light blue eyes and her name tag read: Saeko.

"Kanda, just pay for the tax already."

"No way! This chick is just trying to rip me off and I'm _not _falling for her shit! Allen sighed and rubbed his temples. Couldn't he just pay for the sword already? He saw a twenty dollar bill handed past him at the woman. The woman smirked and gave Kanda his new sword. Kanda and Allen turned around to see Tyki.

"Tyki! Thank you!" Allen smiled. Then, his smile fell. "Wait...if you're here...whose watching over Lavi?" Tyki shrugged casually. "Ugh, there's a reason I made you watch him!" Allen ran out and saw the shopping cart missing, along with their favorite red head. "You've got to be kidding me." Allen grabbed at his hair. "He's gone again!"

"Maybe the camera guards might know where he's at..." Tyki suggested. He already had Allen meet his twin cousins. Now he just had to meet a few others. Allen paced back and forth muttering.

"If I were Lavi, where would I go?" Allen stopped and a light bulb went off above his head...not literally, but still. Allen speed walked across the mall and duo behind him followed him, one of them were slightly angered. Allen spotted Lavi pouting on a bench that was right across from where little kids would play. Tyki couldn't help but laugh at Allen's bright idea.

"You know him a little more than I thought you would." Tyki said, chuckling. Allen sighed and walked over to Lavi. Lavi looked up with puppy dog eyes.

"How did I _know _you were going to be here?"

"Because! Look at those plastic balls man! I've always wanted to play in those when I was younger—please~?!" Lavi whined. Lavi did have a point, Allen had also wanted to play in them, but Mana never took him to the mall, and Cross would say that he didn't want to be seen with a child that was too old to be playing in them but was playing in them anyways. Allen reached in his other back pocket where his wallet wasn't located and unlocked the handcuffs.

"Stay here, got it?"

"Yes! Thank you, bean sprout~!" Lavi hugged him, causing Allen to freeze up and push him away.

"Don't touch me..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Lavi grinned and ran off in the direction of the play pin. He shook his head and grabbed the shopping cart. Kanda put his sword in the cart and they headed off to continue shopping. Allen didn't let Kanda get anymore expensive things and started shopping for himself for awhile. Tyki followed and Allen was surprised that Tyki hadn't left to do his own shopping. He would think that Tyki would be bored.

"You know, you don't have to follow me. You can go shopping too if you want." Allen said as he looked around for a decent shirt to wear. He was getting quite tired of button ups lately.

"I have a question for you." Tyki said simply. Allen frowned, a bit confused as to why Tyki couldn't just ask him before.

"What is it?"

"You pushed Lavi away when he hugged you, but you didn't push me away. Does that mean you were ignoring the fact that I had saved you?" Allen blushed.

"Ah...no, that's not it..." Allen decided to make his own custom shirts for now on. Most of the shirts that had words printed on them were perverted. He did choose a few plain shirts. "I only..." Allen was trying to think of how to word it. "It's not a bad thing...um..."

"You're confusing me, boy."

"Right, sorry, I...can only...basically...um..." Allen scratched his head in thought and blushed in embarrassment.

If Allen had let anyone hug him or actually place a hand on him, it was because he trusted them. He wanted to trust Lavi, he really did. But after what happened, it was weird for him to even be around Lavi. He didn't want to degrade Lavi by telling Tyki that that was the way he could trust people because then that would mean that he was saying he couldn't trust Lavi. Then again...it's not like Lavi would've cared if he could trust him, right? Allen's supposed to be having a grudge on Lavi, not trusting him. Lavi was not proving very much that he could be trustworthy to Allen with all the running away he was doing.

"It means the brat trusts you." Allen flinched and spun around to see Cross standing there with a cigarette lazily hanging out of his mouth. _Oh crap. _Allen thought. _I'd hope I'd never have to see him again! I hope he doesn't find out where I live! _

"Really?" Tyki said, intrigued that Allen could already trust even though they just met.

"Cross? What are you doing here?" _Ugh, now the brat's not calling me master anymore. Damn him for growing up! I'm way superior than he is..._Cross thought grudgingly. Let's just say he had a little big ego.

"Shopping." Cross replied, causing Allen to look at him incredulously. "What?"

"Nothing, you just never shopped when I was around you."

"That's because _you _would do all the shopping. Now that you've moved out, I've got to do it myself."

"Huh, I see. Hey, Tyki, did you see where Kanda ran off to? I hope he's not trying out that new sword..."

"Sorry, boy, I didn't see him."

"Ah, okay, then I guess its about time to go. Let's go get Lavi and then find Kanda. I just hope the security guards didn't take him away..."

"Which one?"

"Both." Tyki chuckled.

"Alright, lead the way."

"Will do, see you later, Cross." Allen waved.

"Hey brat!"

"Hm?"

"I expect you to call Neah later." Tyki saw mixed emotions in Allen's eyes. Most of it was anger, but deep within, Tyki could spot some remorse and guilt.

"Yeah, whatever."

Allen stormed off with Tyki following behind. Tyki looked back at Cross while Cross stared back at him expectantly. Tyki looked back at Allen and saw that Allen was gnawing on the inside of his lip like he did when he gave Tyki the box of Mana's things. _It must be hard on him..._Tyki thought sympathetically, _he couldn't even pack Mana's things away himself. Cross had to..._Tyki thought as he followed Allen back to the play park. Surprisingly, there were no security guards leading Lavi away. Instead, he was playing rock paper scissors with some baby blue long haired ten year old boy that had what looked like a gem stuck in his forehead. The little boy was grinning victoriously and Lavi was pouting. From the looks of it, Allen would say that the boy was winning.

"Lavi." Allen said as he approached the two. "We have to go look for Kanda."

"What, why?"

"Because it's time to leave?"

"I don't wanna go~!" Lavi whined.

"Come on, Lavi, you're not twelve, let's go." The small boy looked a bit upset by Allen's actions. Allen noticed and looked over before smiling. "Ah, hello, are you one of Lavi's friends?" The boy didn't respond, causing Allen to frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Timothy looked away.

"Come on, bean sprout, can I just stay a little longer?"

"No, we have to find Kanda. I'm quite worried that he might hurt someone..." Allen looked back down at the pouting Lavi. "So, whose your friend?"

"Oh! This is Timothy Hearst, isn't he wicked?!" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Wicked?"

"Yeah, like awesome, ya know? He's got freaking blue hair! I wish I had blue hair!" Allen wasn't really in the mood for Lavi's exclamations today. That talk with Cross totally degraded his mood.

"Of course you do Lavi, now can we please just go." Allen started looking around for the dark haired Japanese but Timothy took it the wrong way. He had always been picked on for his gem and his hair, and this guy was just looking around to see if anybody was watching him and his friend communicate.

"You're just stingy." Allen blinked and looked down at Timothy.

"Huh?"

"You think I look weird, don't you, and you just don't want to be seen with someone like me, huh?" Allen blinked for a minute before chuckling a bit. "See! I knew it!"

"That isn't the case, Timothy."

"Huh?"

"If I thought that way about you, what do you think I would think about myself. I'm eighteen and have white hair, don't you find that weird?"

"What?! No way! I thought you were an old man!" Allen smiled and shook his head. Lavi would've flared up had someone called him old. Allen's face looked too young to be old, but he just smiled at the kid and ruffled his hair.

"I'll tell you what, I'll let Lavi stay here a little longer and look for Kanda with Tyki. I'll be back later to get him though. He's not very responsible and I was put in charge to babysit him."

"What?! But he's like twenty!"

"Exactly." Allen stood up straight and waved them goodbye for a little while. He returned to Tyki and they left for awhile. Tyki didn't speak up, Allen knew what he was doing. "Now, where to find a Japanese man that's ticked off all the time?" Allen thought for awhile before walking towards a free meditating mat. "If he's not in here...he needs to be in here." Tyki chuckled.

Allen peeked in the room to see Kanda meditating in the middle while everyone else meditated clear away from him. Allen smiled at the sight but dropped his smile when he left to confront Kanda. He sat in front of the man and waited for him to notice him. If he was meditating, he would surely notice Allen's presence.

"What do you want, bean sprout?" Kanda asked calmly, with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"It's time to leave."

"Where that stupid rabbit?"

"He's still playing in the kid's place."

"Why'd you come get me first?"

"Hm, well, one of Lavi's friends felt offended so I had to come here first, sorry." Kanda cracked an eye open at Allen. _Why the hell is he apologizing? Ugh, stupid moyashi. _Kanda stood up and followed Allen out of the mat. He had Kanda and Tyki follow him back to the kiddy place. Allen felt quite irritated when Lavi wasn't there. He walked over to Timothy. "Do you know where Lavi is?"

"Huh? Oh he said something about going to go get some food. I guess he's leaving now, right? Could you do me a favor and give him this? It was really fun hanging out with him." Timothy grinned and handed Allen a piece of paper with his number on it.

"Sure." Allen smiled at him. Giving a thumbs up to Tyki, who was waiting next to an agitated Kanda.

"Hey, bean sprout." Allen deadpanned.

"My name is Allen."

"Yeah, Allen, whatever. Do you...do you think I'm weird?" Allen frowned.

"Why would I think you're weird?"

"Because I have a jewel in my forehead..."

"Of course not." Allen smiled. "I'll tell you what, I have a secret too. I won't show it to you though because it's very ugly and I don't think you'd think of me the same way if you saw it." Timothy's eyes shined with respect.

"Let me see it! I just...I don't want to..." Allen looked around to see if anyone was looking and rolled up his left sleeve. Timothy's eyes widened in shock and Allen quickly covered it back up.

"I cover it up, it's a very ugly thing to see, isn't it? I think your jewel and your hair is what makes you unique, so just ignore what everyone says about you, okay?" Timothy nodded quickly, grinning. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Timothy, I'll make sure I tell Lavi to call you." Allen waved Timothy goodbye and they all left on another journey to find the missing red head. Allen felt real uncomfortable after showing Timothy his arm, hopefully Timothy wouldn't tell Lavi about it. The dreadful feeling was taking over with the meeting with Cross piled up on top of it. Allen was just having a bad day. "You would think that he learned to not run off from what happened last time..." Allen muttered to himself. He found Lavi buying a large soft pretzel with cheese. "Lavi! What did I tell you about running off?" Allen said as he jogged up beside Lavi.

"I got hungry though! Please don't handcuff me~!" Lavi whined.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's go, I'm tired." Allen turned around to walk back to the others when Lavi grabbed his arm. Allen froze up and went stiff. "Let go of me..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong...please let go."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Allen yanked his arm away from Lavi and stormed off. Lavi followed him. "Hey~, you're not supposed to run off! You're supposed to tell me what's wrong~!" Lavi complained.

"Nothing is wrong."

"That's a lie~." Lavi said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up." Allen muttered. Lavi frowned.

"Walker-san, is that you?" Allen stopped, hearing the familiar voice of his Chemistry partner. In the corner of his eye, Lavi saw another person stop and look over. Lavi was tempted to look over, but he was too curious to see who this girl was.

"Oh...hello, Lou Fa, I didn't expect to see you here..."

"Same here! I was always trying to get in touch with you after you graduated!"

"Ah...I didn't know, sorry..."

"No, no, it's not your fault!" The girl with black braided pigtails blushed. "I'm sure you were busy and all...ah! Would it bother you if...if..."

"Moyashi! We need to go before I kill this guy!" Kanda shouted, gesturing to Tyki, who looked a bit unhappy.

"Okay! Sorry, Lou Fa, I have to go. Goodbye." Allen waved and Lavi looked back to where the other man looked over.

He was working in a uniform, Lavi could see, and his name tag red: Neah. Now where had he heard that name before? Lavi started to think, not noticing the figure coming closer to them. _Not really, it's not like Neah and I have talked in awhile..._That's it! It was when Allen was at their house and had to answer his phone...he said that Neah and him haven't talked in awhile. But he looked a bit remorseful when he said it...did they get into a fight of some sort?

"Hey, bean sprout?"

"My name is Allen." Allen said, aggravated.

"...do you know anyone named Neah?" A look of shock was plastered onto Allen's face.

"How...you eavesdropper!" Allen's eyebrows were knit in an upset glare.

"Are you avoiding him?"

"Like I would tell you. You are so rude! I can't believe you eavesdropped on me!" Allen stormed off and Lavi pouted, following after him.

"Wait, bean sprout~!"

"My _name _is Allen. If you can't say it, don't bother talking to me." Allen said very harshly, unlike him.

"If you would just _listen-"  
_

"I'm not in the mood for it, Lavi." Neah's eyes widened. Cross had told Neah many things while Allen was in high school like how he got picked on, and it was all this _Lavi _guy's fault. He was pretty sure he heard correctly as well. Allen didn't seem like he was in a good mood either and Neah felt like it was partially his fault since Tyki had said Allen was the one who gave him the box of Mana's things. His eyes widened when he saw that Tyki was with him and some other long haired man. Tyki frowned at Allen, who seemed quite upset.

"What's wrong, boy?" Tyki asked, Allen sighed.

"I'm just tired. Let's go already." Tyki followed as well and spotted Neah trailing them secretly...not that it was very secretive to him...

"Would you like to come over after we get back? I only live across the street."

"I know, but I'm just tired, sorry. I think I'll just take a nap when I get home." Neah flinched when Tyki looked straight at him. He watched as Lavi and Kanda followed them out of the mall with the shopping cart. Once everything was in the car, Allen put the cart in one of those shopping cart stations, although he was quite curious why a mall would have these things. Not many people used shopping carts when they went to the mall...right? Allen hopped in the car and turned the ignition.

"I'd like to talk to you later, Allen." Lavi whispered since he called shotgun that time and was sitting in the passenger's seat. Allen bit his lip.

"Whatever..."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I'll take that as a later. I'm tired and I just want to go to sleep."

"Okay, then I'll drop by later tomorrow!"

"If you insist." Allen muttered back.

Little did Allen know, that tomorrow was going to be an even more hectic day than the one today.

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**Thank you to ThatOneGingerKid, Average ordinary person, Jazebeth, MidoriHikari00, and Lenore91 for reviewing! If you want a pm in response to your review, please type PM after your review, thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am taking story suggestions and if you do suggest something the probability of me using it is 90%. If it's a bad idea in my opinion or if I planned something else, I won't use it or I'll use it later. Oh! And Lavi _does _have an eye-patch in this AU, just so you know. I kinda ran into a little trouble near the end because I couldn't remember if I ever said he had an eye-patch or not so yeah XD This chapter was somewhat longer than I expected it to be o.O**

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"Where the fuck did that cat come from?!" Kanda nearly screamed when he saw such an unpleasant site as soon as he walked into the living room. Unpleasant...was an understatement. Lavi and Lenalee both woke up from his shouting and wandered into the living room.

"Yu, why are you up so early?" Lavi asked, yawning.

"It's fucking eleven, stupid. Now where the fuck did that cat come from!?" Kanda demanded again.

"What cat—oh shit..." Lavi stared at the two cats in horror. Allen was so dead. So dead. No, he was beyond dead now. Kanda was going to kill him. He was going to suffer a very painful death. Lavi walked over to the two cats and attempted taking the male away from the female as they laid together. The male one hissed at him and snuggled next to the female. Mugen just looked away like Kanda would.

"If he got her pregnant, I'm going to kill him." Kanda said harshly.

"Yu~! Don't be so harsh~!" Lavi whined, petting Timcanpy. "He just loves her, look! They make a cute couple~!" _How did Allen's cat get in here? I know he wouldn't have let him in..._ "So what are you doing up so early?"

"I heard my cat howling so I came down here and they were just laying there." _Howling? Oh boy, that's not good...Allen is so dead now..._ "Whose cat is that? You know, don't you?"

"N-no! Of course not!" Lavi feigned innocence. "Isn't he pretty, though~?"

"Whatever, I'm going back to bed. If you see them try anything you _better _stop them."

"What? No, Yu~! I'm too tired!" Lenalee shook her head and went back into her own room. "Lenalady! Don't leave me here alone! I'm too tired to take care of them!"

"Do you know anyone that is up then? You know, so that they can take care of them? It has to be someone you trust though because Kanda would kill you if anything happened to Mugen. Today's a Wednesday, Lavi, I don't have work; therefore, I'm sleeping in. Good luck, Lavi!" Lenalee giggled as she walked to her room.

"You guys are so cruel..." Lavi looked at the two who were cuddling up on the cat bed. Lavi was too tired to deal with these two lovebirds ("lovecats?") today. He looked out the window and left the house and walked over to Tyki's house, knocking on the door. Tyki answered with a questionable gaze on his face. "Hey, Tyki! So uh...I have a favor to ask of you..."

"I'm not lending you money."

"I wasn't asking for money! Geez, I'm not some lowlife...I was just going to ask if you can babysit two cats for me?" Tyki gave him a 'seriously?' look.

"No, I'm trying to sleep." Lavi hung his head.

"Damn...okay...see ya later, Tyki!" Lavi turned around and walked over to Allen's house, knocking on the door. Tyki sweat dropped before closing his door. "Bean sprout! Neighbor! Open the door! Please~!" Lavi wailed on Allen's front porch. Allen opened the door, rubbing his eyes with his right ungloved hand.

"Lavi? Ugh, what time is it?"

"It's like...nine or something...can I ask you for a favor?" Allen narrowed his eyes at Lavi. Didn't Lavi come over to talk about what happened yesterday? Why was he asking for a favor now when he went and ticked Allen off?

"Depends, wait—did you say it was nine?" Allen walked deeper into his house and cursed before coming back to the door frame. "It's like eleven."

"Oh, same thing!"

"Have you seen Timcanpy?"

"Uh...maybe, look, can you please do me this favor? I'm tired and I wanna go to bed!"

"It's eleven, Lavi!"

"Then what were you doing sleeping?"

"Timcanpy usually wakes me up in the morning for food...it's weird that he's not here...I didn't think he'd actually jump off the roof..."

"C'mon, do me this favor, please?" Lavi asked, whining. Allen sighed.

"What is it?"

"Babysit a cat for me, will ya?"

"Mugen?"

"Yeah um...your cat and Mugen are like all lovey dovey right now and Yu's going to kill me if Timcanpy does anything to her! But, I wanna sleep!"

"Wait, you're saying Tim is with Mugen? How did he get in your house?!"

"I...don't know..."

"Ugh, so what do you want me to do? Take my cat back?"

"I tried that, but he hissed at me!" Allen was surprised at Lavi's exclamation.

"That's weird, Timcanpy never hisses at anyone...ah, okay. Just bring him over here, my door is unlocked."

Today was officially the third day Allen had moved in, and Timcanpy had already adjusted himself with their neighbors—unlike him. Then again, Cross hadn't figured out where he lived yet, so it was all good for now. He was actually pretty excited about Fou coming down to visit and he just really wanted for her to get here already. He didn't know when they were leaving, but it would probably take a long time...she was probably going to take an airplane or train or something. Hopefully today wouldn't last long and next week would be here already. He didn't know why he was so excited, but he just was. The door opened and Lavi casually walked in and set down the cat bed.

"There ya go, bean sprout."

"It's Allen."

"Sure thing!"

_Does he not remember that he wanted to talk about something with me yesterday? I'm still a little angry at him..._Allen thought as Lavi was about to leave the house. He sighed and gave Timcanpy a disappointed look. He walked over to the kitchen to fix Timcanpy some cat food. He poured the food in his cat bowl and two cats came running instead of just one. Mugen started meowing at Allen to fix her some food too.

"Oh fine..." Allen took a bowl out of the cupboard and started pouring cat food in it. He felt something making it's way up his leg and looked down to see Mugen climbing up his pajama pants. "Well, someone's hungry." Allen untangled her claws from his pants and set the bowl down for her to eat. "Looks like you've got a new friend, huh Timcanpy?" Timcanpy purred in acknowledgment. Allen decided to fix himself some food while they were eating. After he finished cooking his pancakes, he gobbled them up like they were never there to begin with. "What to do, what to do..." Allen wondered, pacing.

"Meow!" Timcanpy meowed at him.

"What?" Allen asked, waiting for Timcanpy to respond. He didn't. "What's up with you lately, you could've been fed early if you didn't go running off like that and I know how much you love food." Allen walked upstairs and decided to get dressed for the day. He put on a white button up long sleeve and a gray vest over it, tying the collar with a red ribbon. He wore black pants and boots that came up to his calf. For some reason, he _really _liked this outfit. He came downstairs just as Timcanpy and Mugen finished their breakfast. They both laid down in a bed together. Allen smiled sadly at them. "It must be pretty nice to be in love, huh Tim?" Timcanpy didn't answer of course. Was it sad for the fact that his cat had a better love life than him?

Yeah, that was pretty sad.

The doorbell rang, and for a moment, Allen thought it would be Lavi again. _Maybe he realized that we were supposed to talk? _Allen walked over to the door to not see the mixed American, but an Australian man instead. He had blond hair that was spiked and blue eyes. He also had a cigarette lazing out of his mouth. Allen was taken about by the sudden appearance of this man. He had never seen this man in his entire life...what was he doing here then? _I hope he's not one of Cross' debt collectors..._

"Good afternoon." Allen said, bringing the attention of the man over to him. The man looked over at the confused boy and tilted his head.

"You're not Lavi."

"Um, no, I'm not..." Allen frowned.

"Sorry, I'm Reever Wenham. I'm Mr. Lee's secretary at Black Order University. Do you know where I can find Lavi Bookman?"

"He lives next door."

"Great, thanks kid." Reever attempted ruffling Allen's hair but Allen backed away from the hand. He realized what he'd done and blushed.

"Right, er, goodbye." Allen bowed and closed the door.

Reever sat on the kid's porch, confused for a bit. Why had the boy flinched away when he was just trying to ruffle the kid's hair? Reever shook his head, shrugging. He walked over to the next house and knocked on the door. Lavi answered and grinned as soon as he saw the assistant.

"Reever, my man! Come on in!"

"Sure, just a minute. But, whose that kid that lives next door to you?"

"Kid? Allen ain't any kid, but he sure looks like one, don't he?"

"Right, the real kid is the person I'm facing right now." Reever joked.

"Sure, anyways, Allen is like a friend—er, acquaintance from high school."

"Acquaintance?"

"Yeah, he has a really big grudge on me." Lavi grinned sheepishly and let Reever in.

"Ah, you mean the one Bookman favors a lot?"

"Whoa, how did you know about that? My gramps absolutely _adores _the kid." Lavi explained. Reever scratched the side of his head.

"Yeah, Bookman said something about the kid being really great or something."

"I wouldn't know." Lavi shrugged. "But usually if Bookman praises anyone that means that they're pretty badass. The kid's pretty awesome, but there just seems to be something off about him. I can't really say what..."

"Do you think he might be afraid of other people? He seemed hesitant talking to me."

"Well, he does have a bit of haphephobia..."

"Lavi, I'm an assistant, not a teacher. I have no idea what that means."

"Basically he's afraid if someone tries touching him."

"Oh, that explains a little. Okay, so anyways, lets get straight down to business, shall we?"

"Right!"

Meanwhile, back at Allen's house...

"Black Order University, huh?" Allen said as he walked upstairs to his study room.

He logged onto his computer and clicked on the Google Chrome shortcut. He went straight to Google and typed in the search bar: _Black Order University. _A link popped up for the site and as it turned out, Black Order University was one of the best Universities out there. Allen read a few descriptions of the place. It was quite large for a college and held a lot of students. Komui Lee was the supervisor of it all. _Komui Lee...Lenalee Lee...are they related somehow? _Allen wondered and clicked on the page to Komui's description.

_Komui Lee is the famous scientist and chemist that supervises over BOU. He is known to be quite friendly with all the students and even when he's working, he still has time to be experimenting on robotics. Very outgoing, and brave, he tends to actually be able to create robots but they usually malfunction most of the time. He is still currently studying on what could be the next best thing! His parents passed six years ago and he's still going strong while watching over his younger sister, Lenalee Lee. _

_So he is related to her..._Allen thought. He surfed the website before when he saw that their exams were taken online in September. It was June now, so that was still around three months away. Now he just had to find out what all courses he would take, and what he wanted his career to be. He still had to look for more colleges just in case Black Order University declined his request for whatever reason. It seemed quite surprising that they would go directly to Lavi though. Just as Allen was about to log off, he saw a Chatango message in the bottom right on his message catcher pop up. It was from TheAncientDeity and said: DON'T LOG OFF YET! Allen rose a curious eyebrow and opened Chatango up in his Google Chrome shortcut.

CC: What is it?

TAD: I got Bak to agree with me and we're coming early! :D

CC: That's great! :)

TAD: We're getting ready to leave, but it might take a day to get there! ^-^

CC: Awesome, I'll be waiting then!

TAD: YUS! Okay, well, I'll ttyl! See ya later Short Stack!

Allen was about to ask her how she planned on finding him, but she had already logged out. He shrugged, knowing Bak's stalking skills, he'd be able to track Allen down no problem. Allen heard a hissing noise and quickly ran downstairs. He blushed at Timcanpy's actions and pulled the cat off Mugen.

"Bad Tim! No kittens for you!" Mugen meowed and pawed at the door. Allen walked over and picked her up, sending a warning glance at Timcanpy. "I'm going to take her back, don't you dare follow me." Allen opened the door and walked outside. If that secretary went to Lavi's house, then he should be awake then. Allen walked over and rang the doorbell. Lenalee answered this time.

"Oh hey, Allen!" Lenalee looked down and saw Kanda's cat, sweat dropping. "Come on in!"

"That's okay, I was just returning-"

"Nonsense! Put the cat down, I need to talk to you anyways."

"Oh...okay..." Allen put Mugen down on the hard wood floor before closing the door behind him. "S-so what did you want to talk about." _Just calm...down...Allen. Just...speak to her like you would speak to Fou...okay scratch that—don't do that. Talk to her like you would talk to Road or Tyki and you'll be fine..._

"I wanted to thank you for watching after Kanda and Lavi yesterday, you know, you really didn't have to buy that sword for Kanda." Allen paled at her words, taking it the wrong way.

"He isn't trying to kill anyone with it, is he?!" She laughed.

"No, he's not. I just didn't think you would have the money to afford something like that." Allen itched his head a bit.

"Yeah, I really need to get a job soon." Lenalee wondered how he could afford the house he was in right now if he didn't have a job. How was he supposed to make money if he didn't work?

"I'm just surprised that you survived the day is all."

"Barely." Lenalee giggled and gestured for him to sit on the couch.

"So, do you want to explain how that day was to me? I'm sure it was filled with excitement."

"It was a bit exhausting, but I guess I'll tell you the story."

Allen started talking about how he came over and took cooked for Lavi, how Lavi injured the two of them and then how he took them to the mall. Each time he said something about Lavi running off and getting into trouble, Lenalee would laugh, saying that it was just like him to do something like that and Allen believed it. He mentioned Tyki a few times and Lenalee would wiggle her eyebrows, which kind of creeped Allen out a bit.

"I wish I was there! We all ought to go out again sometime!"

"I dunno about that..." Allen replied uncertainly.

"So, anyways, I need to talk to you about something." For some reason, Allen didn't like that serious tone in her voice and he was actually starting to get a bit afraid. He started to wonder where Kanda and Lavi were at now. "Lavi told me about what happened back in high school."

"Oh..." Was all Allen could say. The room became tense and Allen was a bit stiff now that his past was mentioned. He never wanted to relive those moments ever again. He just wanted to start a new life, yet here everyone was bringing it back up again. Maybe he should just move. Then Lavi wouldn't bug him anymore or get him into trouble...but then Tyki might be upset and he didn't want to upset anyone with his actions. He hated doing that.

"Don't you want to ask what I know?"

"Huh—oh, no it's fine..." Allen refused to look at her. What would she say? How would she react?

"I'm really disappointed." Lenalee said as she frowned. Allen's heart started racing unnaturally fast. She wasn't talking about him, was she? What did he do this time? Why was she disappointed? "In Lavi, I mean. That was very wrong to do, I'm sorry that he did that."

"Oh, no...it's...it's okay..." Allen swallowed nervously and looked around.

"Ah, okay, so the meeting is like Friday, right?"

"Yup, you better be there or the chief will have your...head..."

Lavi and Reever walked in at a very bad time. The whole room was tense and Allen was a shade brighter than he normally was, which was saying a lot because Allen was a pretty pale person.

"Whoa, who killed the atmosphere?" Lavi grinned. Lenalee sent him a glare and his grin was instantly removed from his face and replaced with a serious expression. Allen stood up and excused himself from the house. "What were you two talking about?"

"High school." Lenalee replied curtly.

"Oh, well hell."

"Yeah, he seemed a bit too uncomfortable, don't you think?" Lavi tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"Heh, yeah..."

Reever looked between the two, puzzled.

"Personally, I think you two should talk about it sometime."

"I've tried! He's just stubborn!"

"Stubborn? I never found him to be stubborn."

"He is! We talked about it like...yesterday? Or was it the day before? I don't know, whenever he like fell off his roof." Lenalee and Reever's eyes widened.

"He fell of the roof?!" They both exclaimed.

"Yeah, he was trying to get his cat, who—you know what, whatever! We still talked about it! He still has a grudge on me too! It sucks...he like, won't forgive me unless I prove to him that I'm trustful—or something like that—I don't know! Ugh, you're making my head hurt, Lena." Lavi pouted.

"Yeah, well, I'll leave you two to your arguments. See ya later, Lavi!"

"Will do, Reever!" Lavi waved. Lenalee's expression didn't change. She didn't speak up until Reever had left the house.

"Lavi, you need to talk to him."

"I have! Look, just trust me, this will all be figured out, I promise!"

"It better be, Allen really does deserve better."

"How would you know?!"

"Road, of course!"

"What does she like know _everything _about him or something?!"

"Well, I would think so...she does stalk him from time to time..." Lenalee said, grabbing her chin in thought. Lavi just stared at her, blinking.

"She _stalks _him?!"

"Yup! It's a bit creepy, but she really wants Tyki and Allen to get together."

"Uhuh, that's creepy."

"Lavi!"

"It is!"

"Whatever, anyways, back to the point."

"I did have to talk to him about something...he's pretty upset at me right now because I was eavesdropping on him yesterday-"

"Lavi!"

"Sorry! He was talking about some guy named Neah to some other guy named Cross."

"Really?" Lenalee seemed very interested at this point.

"Neah is Allen's uncle, just so you know?"

"Really?" Lavi repeated Lenalee's words from earlier.

"Mhmm."

"Well, I guess I could like take him out or something as an apology..."

"Yeah, go do that."

"Okay, okay, I'll go over there and ask him." Lavi walked over to the door and exited without another word. He peeked his head back through. "Do you want to come with?"

"Yes! Can Kanda come too?"

"As long as he doesn't bring his new sword with him, yes."

"Yay!" Lavi shrugged and shut the door. Before going over to Allen's, he stopped by Tyki. He was surprised when the two employees from the mall yesterday answered instead of Tyki.

"Whoa, it's you guys! Hey, what's up!?"

"You're that kid from the mall yesterday! The one that stole our loading cart, man that was hilarious." _I wonder how they know Tyki..._

"Wasn't it though? So hey, do you mind getting Tyki out here for me?"

"Sure, man. Yo, Tyki!" Devit shouted behind him. "Flame over here wants to talk to ya!" _Flame? What kind of nickname is that? _Tyki grumbled a bit of confused words before he pushed the twins out of the way.

"If you're going to ask me to cat-sit, I'm not-"

"No! Jeez, stop jumping to conclusions...how do you know those guys?"

"They're my nephews."

"Oh, okay, cool. So, do you wanna go get something to eat? Lenalee, Kanda, Allen and I are going." Tyki looked at him with a bored expression for the first two names but his head perked up like a dog's whenever he heard Allen's name.

"Sure, where are we going?"

"Not sure, probably that ice cream place down the road. It's still hot as hell outside for being June!"

"Okay, I'll go get ready. I'll meet you outside Allen's house."

"Sure, okay." Lavi left Tyki's house and walked across the street to Allen's house. He knocked on the door three times and prayed that Allen would actually accept the invite and come with him. He was so screwed if Allen didn't. The door opened and the whitette Lavi was looking for was in front of him.

"Lavi?"

"Sup, bean sprout? Say, do you want to like go get some ice cream or something?" Lavi asked, causing Allen to look at him very suspiciously.

"Why?"

"I...want to apologize for yesterday...we won't be alone, so it's not like a date or anything like that! Lenalee, Kanda, and Tyki are all coming." Allen huffed.

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Great! I'll pay for you, let's go!" Allen locked his door before closing it and followed Lavi outside. Lavi stared at what Allen was wearing in such blistering heat. "Aren't you hot?" Truth be told, Allen was sweating a lot, but he wouldn't tell Lavi that—its not like he needed to know, right?

"Nope, I'm fine."

"Dude, you're like, immune to heat or something!"

_Not really..._Allen sweat dropped.

Lenalee was smiling happily when her and Kanda came over. Kanda wouldn't look at anything but the ground and was muttering nonsense in Japanese. Tyki was checking Allen out, like always. They all left for the ice cream store known as _Zone._ Lavi had let the others walk ahead of him and Allen so that they could talk about yesterday.

"So, look, I really am sorry for eavesdropping on you yesterday, my curiosity is like a bubble that will like explode if I don't get the information, man."

"Bubbles don't explode. They pop." Lavi barked a laugh.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say bean sprout."

"My name is Allen."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, the reason I asked you was because I saw Neah working at the mall. The only reason I knew it was him was because of the name tag."

"...I didn't know he worked at the mall. If I knew that, I probably never would've even went. My uncle and I...have a bit of problems...we haven't spoken to each other for a long time."

"Sorry to hear that. Am I forgiven now?" Lavi gave him the puppy dog eyes. "How can you resist the puppy dog eyes?"

"...eye." Lavi gasped and grabbed his chest in fake pain.

"That hurt, man, that really did." Allen chuckled and shook his head.

"Sorry, I had to. Yes, I forgive you—but that doesn't mean that I still don't have a grudge on you."

"Dang it!" Lavi snapped playfully. "Well, I'm going to go catch up with everyone. You jog on up here when you're ready, okay?" Allen nodded. Allen sighed and walked behind them all. They all approached an alleyway and Allen really started to get nervous. He was alone and alleys weren't exactly kind to him in the past. The others ahead of him had already passed the alley without a problem so maybe he'll be safe too?

Well, that wasn't the case.

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**Thank you to Shirubagure, Average ordinary person, ankhesenamun2, and 37ocr for reviewing! ****If you want a pm in response to your review, please type PM after your review, thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter might seem a bit rushed since I was on like 1100ml of Monster and a bag of gummy worms went I wrote this so I apologize severely!**

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As soon as Allen walked past the suspicious alley, he felt himself being yanked in and was so off balance that he fell on his butt. He sat there, a bit dazed. This definitely wasn't good. Allen didn't have many good memories with dark alleys and he was sure this was going to be the same. He looked up and saw Alma Karma. Alma was the son of one of the members of The Akuma, which is a very dangerous gang. He was also one of the kids who picked on Allen a _lot. _Allen didn't see any others even though The Akuma normally travel in groups. He stood up and stared at Alma dangerously.

"Who do you think you're glaring at, _bean sprout?" _Alma spat.

"Look, Alma, I don't want any trouble here. I didn't defend myself in high school, but that doesn't mean I won't defend myself now."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Alma smirked, stepping a few steps closer, holding a metal pipe. Allen was pretty sure he didn't have that pipe for looks. It actually frightened Allen and he took a step back.

"You know who Cross is, right?" Alma paused for a minute before continuing on his path to Allen.

"So what?"

"He trained me, I can defend for myself." Alma's eyes widened. "There's just one of you and one of me." Alma narrowed his eyes.

"You...you don't know what I've been through! I'm way stronger than you are!"

"Oh really? Let's see if you can prove it!"

Okay, in all honesty, Allen was lying through his teeth. He was quite terrified at the moment because of all the beatings he took in high school but he had to be strong. He didn't want to hurt Alma because he knew that anyone that was involved with The Akuma suffered pain. Alma was probably not even himself anymore. Alma was probably fighting to keep whatever relatives or friends he had left alive. Allen completely understood his pain. The Akuma had tried to get him to join, which was why he had the mark on his face, and he declined. The result of that was that they were either going to kill him and Mana, or take Neah into their group. But that's a story for a different time.

"You don't have to do this, Alma."

"Shut up! Stop using my name like you know me! You're just spoiled! Just because Mana and Cross loved you, doesn't mean Neah did! He probably hates you now, you know that?! He hates you!" Allen ignored his words. Alma knew nothing about what happened, he couldn't let those words affect him.

"You're making a mistake Alma, just calm down. If you just report this to the police, we can help you-"

"Shut up! People like you make me sick! You don't know how hard I worked just to stay alive! They...they killed everyone...my mother, my father, and even my brother! You don't know how it really feels to lose your family!" Alma's anger was really starting to get out of control as he stormed towards Allen. Allen backed away of course. Suddenly, he felt an arm around his throat and pull him back.

"Now, Alma!" Allen choked and felt the wind knocked out of him as he felt Alma's fist buried deep into his gut.

Panicked was an understatement for how Allen felt right now. He was _freaking out. _They wouldn't seriously try and kill him would they? Why were they doing this? What were they getting out of this? Did they enjoy bringing pain upon him? Was he going to die?! Allen couldn't breath and felt a painful impact with the side of his head. The girl that shouted before let go of him as he fell to the ground. He thought seeing stars was just an expression, but now he could actually tell that it wasn't. Everything just hurt so _bad. _Not only was he seeing stars, but he swore he saw Tyki and the others watching from afar. _This is it...I'm really going to die..._Allen thought as Alma held him up by the throat and shoved him against the wall. All he could see was Alma's fist slamming into his face. He was pretty sure that he really was hallucinating when he saw tears fall down Alma's cheeks.

Rage. Anger. Fury. Wrath.

That was all Tyki felt as he saw Allen getting beat up. Without hesitation, Tyki grabbed Alma's wrist in his and squeezed it so tightly his fingernails pierced Alma's skin. Alma yelped in pain and Allen fell against the wall of the alley. Kanda had the girl from before locked tightly in his grip and Lavi was at Allen's side, panicking. Lavi waved his hand in front of Allen's face to try and get a response. No response. Then again, he _did _just get hit in the head with a pipe. Getting hit in the head with a pipe does that to you.

"Allen, Allen, look at me." Lavi said as calmly as possible. He noticed that Allen's eyes inched his direction. Lavi scooted in front of Allen as Lenalee called the cops. It wasn't a few minutes later when the police arrived. Cross shoved Lavi out of the way and appeared in front of Allen, who was slowly losing consciousness.

"Brat, look at me." Allen slightly turned his head in Cross' direction. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay?" Allen nodded his head once but didn't have the strength to put his head back up. "What is your name?"

"Uh..."

_Oh shit! _Lavi panicked. _He's got a definite concussion! _

"Allen...yeah..."

"Good, do you know what today is?" Allen's face contorted in pain as he tried thinking about what today was.

"'M tired..." Allen replied, shaking his head lazily. He covered his mouth with his hand.

"Move out of the way!" Cross said quickly, dodging the vomit that just came out of Allen's mouth. Lavi winced when he saw some blood mixed in with it.

"Okay, go ahead and rest. Bookman, get over here!" Bookman knelt in front of the boy who had fallen forward from unconsciousness. "Take him to your grandson's place. It's closest." Bookman nodded and looked at Lavi and then looked at Allen.

"Pick him up." Lavi swallowed nervously and picked Allen up. "Don't move his head too much!" Bookman scolded. Lavi nodded and they all rushed to Lavi's house. "Set him on the couch." Lavi obeyed quickly and moved out of the way so Bookman could work.

All they wanted was some ice cream.

* * *

An hour later, Tyki, Lavi, and Lenalee were all pacing out on the porch. Kanda was getting really aggravated with all of them and would've screamed at them to stop if it weren't for the critical situation.

"I'm warning you, Cross!" They all looked over to where the shouts were coming from. There was an angry looking man—was that Hitler? He sure looked liked it. Lavi saw Tyki pull something out of his pocket and click a button. "This is the third time this month! Do you know how bad we look when one of _your _apprentices keep getting knocked out every week?"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Leverrier! It's not my fault the damn kid can't defend himself worth shit! He's just too fucking nice to people!"

"You either do something about that, or get rid of him!"

"Fuck you!" Cross yelled as Leverrier hopped in his car and drove off. "Fucking asshole." Cross grumbled and looked up at Tyki. "Hey, Mikk, get over here, I need to talk to you!" Tyki didn't hesitate to run over.

"Can I ask what's going on?"

"You just did. This has a bit to do with Neah and Mana, and I don't fucking care if this is a lot to take in or not. I can't tell you the whole story because I wasn't there, but this gang, The Akuma, Mana and Neah used to be a part of it. These kids that just beat the fuck out of him are a part of that gang. You know what this means right?"

"What...? Neah and Mana...they couldn't have been involved with something like this! They were too-"

"Shut up and listen. Whether you like it or not, they were. They quit though and that's when Allen was included in the family. If you don't believe me, ask Allen about it when he's comfortable, otherwise you'll lose all of his trust, got it?" Tyki just couldn't handle all this information. It was too much. Neah's smiling face just wouldn't let him believe that he was involved in that kind of stuff. "Whatever you do, _don't _ask Neah about it."

"I...I think I better go..."

"Suit yourself. Don't talk to _anyone _about this except for me or Allen, got it? If you do, I might have to do something drastic and you don't want me to do that."

"I...sure..." Tyki shook his head and left to his house. Lavi was a bit upset that he didn't return. His curiosity was killing him and he really wanted to find out what Cross was talking to him about and _what the fuck just happened! _He was burning with curiosity. What had pushed those two kids so far as to beat Allen up like that? Lavi was giving Cross looks that insisted that he wanted to know what was going on. They all heard a scream from inside. Cross blocked them from the doorway.

"Let us through!"

"Can't do that."

"What's going on in there?!" Lavi demanded.

"Don't use that tone with me, boy. You just sit there and be a good little boy and play in the grass or something." More screams came from inside the house. Lavi noticed Timcanpy run over and start howling sympathetically for Allen. "Tim, Allen's going to be fine. Shut up." The cat stopped howling and ran past Cross' legs to check up on Allen. Lavi watched in awe. The cat and Allen must have a really strong bond with each other. The screams subsided after ten minutes. Bookman came out of the house and nodded his head towards the others. They all scurried in quickly. Lavi was at the boy's side in seconds. Cross watched with mild curiosity.

"Weren't those two on bad terms?" Cross asked as Bookman walked past him.

"Lavi's a curious one. I can't completely understand him myself, but don't think of him as a bad guy. He pulled a stupid stunt back then, but he didn't mean no harm by it. He knew that I would've dodged it easily. He didn't expect Allen to go through that door that day. He's just trying to get Allen's forgiveness." Bookman continued on his not-so-merry way back home.

Inside the house...

Allen's eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping, he was resting. Timcanpy was laying on his chest and he had a damp cloth on his forehead and a bandage wrapped around his head. He felt the wind of the two that rushed to his side. When he opened his eyes, he saw what he didn't expect. Lavi and Lenalee. He would've thought that Tyki would've been there for him. He wasn't anywhere in the room though. His chest tightened up a bit at that but he looked at Lavi, whose face was filled with so much worry it was ridiculous. _Why...why is he so worried about me? I...I've been so cruel to him..._

"How are you feeling, little buddy?" For the first time that Lavi had met him, Allen _smiled _at him. It was the most adorable thing Lavi had ever seen in his entire life.

"My head's hurting a little, but I feel okay."

"That's a relief. Man, when I saw you get hit by that pipe, I thought you were going to like be mentally retarded for the rest of your life!" Allen didn't stop smiling and laughed at Lavi's joke. Lavi was a bit concerned. He could tell that Allen was holding his feelings back whenever he spoke to Lavi, but now there's no hint of him holding back at all. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay? Lenalee, you take over for a little." Lavi ran out of the house and quickly ran up to his grandfather's car before he could take off.

"Yes, Lavi, he's on drugs. He would probably be aching from his concussion right now if I didn't give him any pain medication."

"Thought so..." Lavi smiled and lazily waved his Panda of of grandfather goodbye as he drove off. He hurried back to the house and noticed that Lenalee and Kanda were nowhere to be seen. Lavi returned to Allen's side and Allen looked over at him. "Where's the others?"

"Bed."

"Ah okay...you know, you should be getting some rest too. You'll need it for tomorrow. I'm definitely taking you out for ice cream again tomorrow, and this time, we'll actually get some ice cream." Lavi grinned and it slowly died when he saw tears gather in Allen's eyes. _Why is he crying?! Was it something I said?! Oh God, please don't cry! _Allen didn't let the tears fall and his smile grew kind. Lavi watched as Allen slowly raised his hand so that it rested on Lavi's cheek. Lavi blushed—and Lavi _didn't _blush—as Allen smiled sadly at him.

"Thank you." Lavi placed his hand over Allen's and smiled back more kindly than his usual playful one.

"You're very welcome." Allen closed his eyes and dropped his hand beside his side.

"2 years..." Allen whispered and Lavi's mood just tripled right there.

Sleep probably wasn't possible anymore.

The next morning, Allen woke up with a pounding headache and what felt like his guts were rising up his esophagus pretty quickly. Too quick for comfort in Allen's opinion. Allen sat up and booked it to the nearest bathroom. He emptied whatever bile was left in his stomach. He wiped his mouth of the lingering saliva and looked around to see that he wasn't in his bathroom. This bathroom looked completely different. His face lit up when he remember what happened last night. _Oh. My. God. I touched Lavi's face...and he...he touched my hand...oh. My. God. I'm such an idiot! How could I let such a drug break through my mask?! _Allen sighed. He couldn't just act like nothing happened, but he'd rather not mention it.

There was something stuck in the back of his mind...like he was forgetting something. He couldn't remember what it was though...it was really starting to annoy him. Something important was going to happen today but he couldn't figure out what it was..._damn concussions and their memory loss. _

Allen wandered around the house for awhile since it was only nine in the morning. He paced around, unsure of what to do. Lavi said that last night he would take him out to eat ice cream, but when did Lavi wake up? When was he going to take Allen? Should he leave and come back later? Was he allowed to take any pain medications for his headache? What was he going to do while he waited for Lavi to wake up? Should he just go wake Lavi up right now? How would Lavi react when he saw Allen when he woke up? Will he mention everything that happened the night before?

"Morning!" Allen nearly jumped a foot in the air. He spun around, which was a really bad idea because it made him feel really dizzy, and almost fell down if it wasn't for Lavi catching him. Lavi sent him a charming grin and Allen faintly blushed, looking away.

"Good morning."

"How are ya feeling today, bean sprout?" Lavi asked as Allen steadied himself.

"My name is Allen and I feel fine." Lavi was a bit upset that Allen was holding back his feelings again, but it was probably just to cover up what happened last night. If Allen wished him not to, he wouldn't bring up what happened between them.

"So, how about that ice cream?"

"You _do _realize that it's like nine o' clock in the morning, right?"

"So? Who doesn't eat ice cream at nine o' clock in the morning?" Allen opened his mouth to reply but Lavi cut him off. "Don't answer that."

"Are they even open?"

"Of course! They're like open 24/7! Well, except at 8pm...and 8am..."

"That's not 24/7, Lavi, that's more like 12/7."

"But 24/7 sounds way much more cooler!" Lavi exclaimed. Allen had to restrain himself from chuckling. Lavi noticed, but didn't say anything.

"Right, so, let's go!"

"Lavi, you're going to have to take a rain check on that." Both Lavi and Allen jumped that time. Bookman had appeared out of thin air. _How did he suddenly appear like that? _Allen wondered while Lavi was thinking: _Damn! I keep forgetting that Panda is like a ninja! I've got to keep my guard up or he'll like kick my ass if he finds out I'm talking about him. _

"Awe, but why~?"

"Allen can't eat anything for a few more hours." Allen paled. Is this what he was forgetting about? Forgetting about food seemed pretty severe for him though.

"Oh no..."

"Sorry, Allen, but it's the only way to help your concussion heal faster." Allen pouted—and it was the most adorable thing Lavi had ever seen in his entire life. He would've gushed had it not been that Allen had his grudge on him.

"But...but...I'm hungry..." Allen's pout increased and Bookman's eyebrow twitched at the cuteness.

"No matter what you do, I won't give you food Allen."

"Awe..." Allen hung his head in disappointment.

"It's just two hours, you can last that long, can't you? Maybe you should just go back to bed?"

"But, then I'd have to go home and I can't exactly stay out of your sight, can I?"

"Why would you have to go home?"

"Because that's where my bed is and the couch isn't as comfortable anymore."

"Why don't you sleep in Lavi's bed then?" Both Lavi and Allen's jaw dropped.

"Um...I don't think so..."

"Why not?"

"Uh...um...er...because...maybe Lavi wants to go back to bed?"

"Nah, it's all good bean sprout! You can go ahead and sleep in my bed all ya want! Here, I'll show you to my room!" Lavi grinned as he dragged Allen over to his bedroom. When they entered, Allen thought he walked into a miniature library. He studied all the books around him and realized something. Lavi loved something he absolutely hated:

Learning and Logic.

Lavi cleared some books off of his large bed a fluffed a pillow for him. Allen inwardly blushed at all the special attention he was receiving from Lavi. He shook his head, Lavi was only giving him this attention because of what happened recently. He was injured and need this type of care, right?

"Ah, thank you..." Allen muttered so low Lavi barely heard it. Lavi grinned and patted Allen's head. Allen slightly blushed and sat down on the bed.

"Nighty night, bean sprout!"

"My name is Allen..." He heard Allen say as he crawled into Lavi's bed. Lavi shut the light off and closed the door behind him gently. He walked back into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks. _Allen...he didn't flinch away from me when I touched him..._Lavi looked back at where he just came from. _Are the drugs still in effect or something? _Lavi wondered as he sat down on the couch. Timcanpy casually walked over and plopped himself right there on Lavi's lap and licked his hand.

"Good morning to you too, Timcanpy." Lavi replied by scratching him behind the ear. _Allen and Timcanpy have a strong bond between each other and I'm pretty sure that Timcanpy would only trust people that Allen trusted...so...does that mean Allen trusts me? But then he said that he still had that grudge on me and I had to know off two more years in order for it to go away...what's he thinking about, I wonder._

Ironically, in the other room, where Allen was laying in Lavi's bed, Allen shared similar thoughts with Lavi._ He...he touched me and I...I didn't feel insecure at all? Am I losing my touch? I need to get myself together, I can't fall in love with him again! I'll only get hurt in the end. He would never feel the same way about me anyways, right? He's a womanizer and likes girls. I learned that much from high school. I wonder what Tyki thinks of me right now...he wasn't there when I woke up, and he never stopped by this morning...he doesn't think...I'm weak, does he? Then again, I guess I am pretty pathetic, huh? _Allen sighed. He really needed to stop thinking about this and get his act together.

Lavi liked girls. Lavi wouldn't like Allen that way. Tyki liked guys. Tyki doesn't like Allen that way. Allen pulled at his hair. He just needed to stop thinking, period. _Think about something else, think about something else! Like...ice cream! Yeah, I'm going to get ice cream when I wake up! Okay, I think I can sleep now. _Allen thought, smiling. Ah, the wonders of ice cream.

Ah, the wonders of love.

* * *

**Thank you to DgrayManFanatic, sHiro, Average ordinary person, and Shirubagure for reviewing! If you would like me to reply to your review through a pm simply put PM after your review, thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hadn't had the motivation or idea how to continue this so sorry for the wait! Laven week is over (sadly), but this story will keep going strong! YAY FOU! She is so badass...she's one of my most favorite characters in DGM...so of course she had to be a perv XD still taking suggestions for the story! ;)**

* * *

In his sleep, Allen's headache decreased overtime and when he woke up, he felt mighty refreshed. Although he was a bit puzzled. This definitely wasn't _his _room he was sleeping in. He looked around and saw books everywhere. He knew that books didn't have a strong smell, but the room _smelled _like books and paper. _Oh...this is Lavi's room..._Allen, for some reason that was to him unknown, blushed. He was in _Lavi's _room. Allen felt like an innocent freshman again as he sniffed around the room. He shook his head. _What the hell was I doing?! _Allen stood up and quickly opened door to run out. He ended up knocking into someone and feeling a surge of heat plague his body.

And no, it wasn't _that _kind of heat. He was seriously being burned and felt like he was on fire.

"Sorry about that, bean sprout!" Allen looked up and glared at Lavi, who was holding a _steaming _cup of coffee. He gritted his teeth at the first degree burns that were probably forming on him _everywhere. _

"Hot!" Allen exclaimed, trying to somehow get rid of the liquid.

"Oh, damn, I didn't spill any on you, did I?"

"No! My shirt is just naturally stained brown!" Allen bit back sarcastically. Lavi blinked before laughing..

"What's going on over here?" Lenalee walked into the hallway. An evil idea formed it's way into Allen's head and he faked tears to fall down his face. "Oh my God, Lavi! What did you do to him!" Lavi quit laughing and looked over at Lenalee, puzzled. She shouldered past him and bent beside Allen, checking for any burns. "You burned him! Why did you do that?!" Lavi was ultimately shocked at Allen's cruel smile with _tears _down his face. How could someone even pull such a smile when they were _crying?! _Truth was, they couldn't. Lavi gawked.

"He's playing you, Lenalee! Look at that smile, man!" Lenalee looked up only to see Allen giving her the puppy dog eyes. He was really good at it too, almost as good as his cat. Lavi's jaw could've hit the floor. It was just so _cute_ for the look to be on a boy. Lavi grinned slyly and pulled out his phone to snap a picture. _Blackmail~ _Lavi thought. This was so revenge.

"Nothing looks too serious." Lenalee observed as Allen's tears magically disappeared. "You should go change though before you get sticky." Lavi snorted.

"That's what she said."

"Lavi!"

"What? You were begging for that one!"

"Well, I'm going to go change now." Allen said, standing up.

"What?! No! I have to take you out for ice cream~!" Lavi whined. Allen thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nah, now that I think about it, I may have left some extra boxes in my trunk. Goodbye." Allen waved and walked out the door just like that. Lavi chased after him while Lenalee chased after Lavi trying to stop him from ruining Allen's personal bubble.

"Oh c'mon, bean sprout~? What happened to the Allen last night, ne?"

Allen stopped dead in his tracks and his cheeks flared with warmth. His eyes widened a bit before he continued walking a much faster pace to his house. Allen slammed the door in Lavi's face and pressed his back against the door. His right hand was tingling with warmth. He hoped that Lavi wouldn't bring up what happened last night. They actually got a small sneak peak of the Allen he used to be in high school. He was foolish to let them see through his mask. So foolish!

Allen sighed and walked upstairs to his room, stripping his shirt off so casually. That wasn't a very bright idea considering that Kanda was in the backyard mowing the lawn. He had just stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow and spotted Allen's window. His eyes widened at the charcoal black arm. He let his eyes travel down and was more than surprised at the sprout's toned body. His eyes lingered back up and he narrowed his eyes at the marks above Allen's deformed left arm. Over the swirls of the arm that connected to his shoulder were what looked like...scratch marks? The arm was covered up by a long sleeved shirt. What was weird though...was that the bruises Alma gave him were gone...He shook his head and continued mowing.

_Are those self-harmed scars? _Was all that was on Kanda's mind as he cut the grass. Allen meanwhile finished dressing into shorts—because it was just too hot to wear pants today—and walked outside to move the boxes from the trunk of his car. He wasn't lying when he told Lavi there were still boxes in the back of his car. They were mostly picture frames he often put up around his room when he lived with Cross. The box was quite heavy for just being filled with picture frames though. Halfway to his porch, he set the box down to wipe the sweat that had gathered on his brow in only a few minutes.

"No way, Allen, is that you?!" Allen blinked and narrowed his eyes. Was he seriously hearing things? He didn't think it was _that _hot. Okay, maybe it was, but he couldn't possibly be going insane...Lavi also stepped out on his porch to see where the calls were coming from.

"I must be hearing things..." Allen whispered to himself.

"I knew it! That _is _you." Okay, he definitely wasn't hearing things. Allen turned around to look for whatever was calling to him. He saw a girl with pinkish orange hair running to him with a grin on her face. She was about 4'9 in height. He gave her a questionable gaze before realization hit him.

"_Fou?" _

"You bet your sexy ass!" Allen blushed.

"Aha! See! I _am _taller than you!" Allen said measuring their height with his hand. She crossed her arms.

"Whatever. You're still short for a guy."

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"I'm not going to do this with you. So, how did you find my house exactly?"

"You know Bak and his stalking tendencies." Fou said, waving her hand casually. Allen gave her an odd look.

"Right...I thought you were kidding about that..."

"No way! I think one of his best friends live here actually...Komui something?" Allen blinked. _He's the supervisor of the Black Order..._Allen thought.

"Yeah...okay..."

"Hey, bean sprout, whose your friend?!" Lavi asked, waving from the porch he was standing on. Fou's ears perked up when she heard the name 'bean sprout'. Allen scowled, not turning his attention towards Lavi.

"He called you...is that Lavi? Damn, I didn't think he was sexy too..."

"Fou!"

"What?! You've got to agree he's hot. He doesn't have a nice ass like you but-" Allen blushed deeply.

"Would you _please _keep your perverted thoughts to yourself?"

"What? Awe, why? I have to speak my mind! Oh and you don't look odd. You look cute." Fou reached up on her tip toes and gave Allen a kiss...on the lips...both Lavi and Allen were shocked. Allen backed away, blushing as vibrant as a red rose.

"Wh-wh-wh-why did you j-just-" Fou cracked up laughing.

"You're so cute! Don't blow your gasket over it, Short Stack, you're gay and I'm a girl. So it's okay!"

"D-don't just decide that for yourself!" Fou pinched his cheek with a sly grin on her face.

"You have such an adorable accent when you're angry. And what's this? I thought you said you moved in already! Why're you bringing in packed boxes? You lazy bum!" Allen's blush faded away like Fou hadn't just kissed him two seconds ago.

"Oh, I am moved in. I was just moving some things that I forgot before."

"Bean sprout~! Whose your friend~!" Allen tried his best to ignore Lavi while Fou was watching him bend over to pick up the box. She was quite impressed that Allen could ignore Lavi so easily. "Is she your girlfriend~?" Fou gave Lavi an incredulous look. Didn't he know Allen was gay or something? Allen held the box to his side and invited her in the house. She looked delighted at the idea.

"Awe-some." Fou said as she looked around Allen's house. She went downstairs, back upstairs, upstairs, back downstairs. "Dude, your house is ginormous!"

"Really? I don't think so...but a house is a house in my opinion." Fou grinned and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"So, like, since you have an extra bedroom...you wouldn't mind if...Bak and I like...stayed here for awhile...only until we find a house!" Allen blinked a few times.

"I didn't know you were moving here."

"Oh, well you see, Bak and Komui were like best buds back in high school."

"Hm...how old is Bak again?"

"He's 23...I think?"

"And you're 18?" Fou blushed.

"What's that got to do with anything?!"

"Oh, nothing...how old is Komui?"

"The hell if I know!"

"I guess it's no problem...but I don't have an extra mattress..."

"We do!" Allen looked at her skeptically. "What? We were just being prepared!"

"Do you two intend to share the mattress?" Allen asked curiously. Fou's blush deepened a shade, which Allen thought was impossible for it being Fou, and she looked away from Allen's eyes.

"Wh-what? O-of course not...I mean if there's no room or anything I guess we'd have to but Bak and I are like best friends! I'm sure he wouldn't think anything of it!" Allen smirked.

"I see."

"Hey, quit your smirking!" Allen giggled as she playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Yes, Fou, you can stay here for the time being."

"Yeah! No motels for us!" Fou exclaimed, jumping for joy, fist pumping the air. Allen sweat dropped.

"So, where's Bak now?" Allen asked.

"Oh, he's waiting outside." Allen face palmed.

"If he was in the driveway I would've let him in!"

"What? Oh no he can wait." Fou said, laughing. "He's so fun to mess with...then again, I think it's more fun to mess with you instead."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Allen said in a monotone.

"I'm just picking with you! I do that all the time, you should be used to it now. So hey, come on over and meet the great Baka!" Fou grabbed his wrist and started dragging him out to the driveway. More than just Lavi was watching from afar. Kanda, Lenalee, and Tyki were all curious about this new girl. She didn't look like she was from around here. Lavi was quite jealous of her to say the least. She casually swung an arm around his shoulder and he didn't even _flinch. _Just who was this new girl?

"Yo, Baka! Look, this is Allen. You know, gay best friend?" Bak stared at Allen, looking at him for awhile.

"I didn't expect him to look so...so...what's the word?" Bak looked at Fou for 'the word'.

"Innocent? Cute? Short?" Fou suggested. Allen's eyebrow twitched at the word 'short'.

"Yeah, sure, so?"

"You two can stay at my house for as long as you like." Allen answered for them. "But no funny business while I'm at the house." A blush slowly creeped up Bak's face. Fou laughed, punching him in the shoulder quite roughly but playfully.

"Haha, yeah, you're funny Short Stack."

"My name is Allen." Allen said, pouting.

"Uhuh, keep telling yourself that. So, come on, Bak! Help me unload this mattress, will ya?" Bak turned to ignition off, like he was expecting Allen to say no so he left it on, and pulled the keys out. He opened the door and hopped out to lift open the trunk of the SUV. "C'mon, tough guy, let's see whatcha got! You're not gonna make a girl carry this, are ya?" Allen snorted.

"Yeah, because you're not strong enough to do it yourself." Allen replied sarcastically. "And you call me a lazy bum..." Allen muttered.

"What was that? I didn't hear you." Fou cupped her hand around her ear.

"Nothing!"

"That's what I thought! Now you two hurry up and get that thing in there! Oh hey, that's what she said!" Allen groaned. Did she seriously have to say that joke too today? She ended up smacking his butt when they were almost inside and he dropped the mattress on Bak's toe.

"Fou! I can't concentrate if you keep groping me all the time!" Allen scolded. Fou sat there, grinning.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. Bak's cute when he's jealous." Splotches of skin reddened on Bak's face.

"I-I-I-I-I...DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Bak screamed, running out of the house like a maniac and hiding in Allen's trash can. Allen looked over at him puzzlingly.

"What?" Allen asked Fou, who was too busy laughing her butt off to reply.

"That was hilarious!"

"Fou, that's mean."

"I'm sorry! It's just so fun to pick on you two!" She said and continued laughing. "He...gets hives when he's...embarrassed." She said between laughs.

"Why did he hide in my trash can? I took out the trash earlier ago and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be in there right now..." A high pitched scream came from within the trash can and it was knocked over, Bak crawling his way out. Bak was covered in a strange, unknown liquid that stunk up Allen's front yard. Both Fou and Allen held their noses.

"Holy hell, Short Stack, what the hell did you throw away?"

"I can't exactly remember...but that is disgusting—is that mold?! I think I'm going to puke..." Bak ran around and hid behind his SUV for comfort. "Huh, that must be the thing I forgot about..." Allen whispered to himself.

"Huh?"

"What? Oh, I was just wondering what was going to happen today. I knew it was important...but I forgot. It must've been you coming over to see me today."

"Dude! How could you forget something as awesome as I?!"

"I kinda had a concussion yesterday..."

Lavi was shocked. This girl...wherever she came from...was so close to Allen. Not only could she _kiss _him and have him be okay with it, she could hug him as well. And he told her something like this without hesitating at all. Lavi would like to think that she was some relative of his, but she didn't look anything like Neah...but then Allen was so casual around her that it was crazy.

"What?! Nobody was beating up on you again, were they?! I'll kick their ass! Where are they, tell me!"

_Again...what does she mean again? Does she know about the other times Allen has been targeted by students...and for what reason have they targeted him for. It couldn't possibly be that silly joke I played on him. I wasn't that popular in school...my old classmates aren't still holding that against him, are they? It was just a joke! There is no way they would beat him up that bad for...there's no way they should beat him up at all! _

"Oh no, no! Nothing like that! It was, ah..." Allen looked both ways before whispering in her ear. "The Akuma gang I've told you about. Don't worry though, they've been arrested, Cross made sure of that." Fou's temper decreased only slightly.

"Whatever, man. You know, you should really start protecting yourself. You're too nice, you know that?"

"I think you should tell Bak to get a shower now." Allen said, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, I don't want him stinking all day. Say, you wanna go to the mall?" Fou asked, a slight gleam in her eyes. Allen sweat dropped.

"Um, no thanks. You'd probably just burn a hole in my wallet."

"Awe, come on, Short Stack~ just a little bit?"

That was another thing that got on Lavi's nerves. No matter how many times this girl would pick on his height, he wouldn't retort back with his whole 'My name is Allen' thing like he did to him.

"Um...I dunno..."

"Oh come on! You're so stingy when it comes to money!"

"I wonder why?" Allen feigned innocence.

"Yeah, you've got a reason to be stingy, huh? So how about some ice cream?" Allen blushed just thinking about Lavi offering to take him out to ice cream.

"Anything but that." Allen said flatly and turned around to walk off towards his house. Lavi dramatically cried on his porch while Fou was sending Allen a questionable gaze. What was so wrong with ice cream? She noticed Lavi's pouting on said red head's porch and figured she might know the reason behind this.

"Well, Short Stack, I'm gonna greet the neighbors since I'm gonna be staying awhile, see ya!"

"Good luck with that! Bak, please get in the shower!" Allen waved behind him. Bak pouted as he put the trash can back up and bowed his head as he walked slowly into Allen's house with both his and Fou's suitcases. Fou spun on her heel and headed straight towards Lavi with a glare on her features. Lavi panicked. This girl looked tough. He should probably at least get Kanda out here just in case she tries to-

"Hey you!" Fou shouted as she grabbed the front of Lavi's collar.

"Hi?" Lavi offered.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?" Lenalee asked, trying to detach Fou and Lavi from each other. It wasn't working out too well for Lavi though. Kanda didn't lift a single finger. He watched the situation, quite amused, as Fou death threatened him. Lavi would've peed his pants if he was three years younger. This chick was _scary. _

"Lay one finger on Allen, and you'll wish you've never been born, got that?" She asked harshly.

"Cr-Crystal clear!" Lavi said, swallowing nervously. After these words were said, all rage deflated out of her and a smile formed on her features as she dropped Lavi on the ground.

"Cool! So, my names Fou! I'm from Asia if you were wondering, one of Allen's best friends at that! We tell each other everything!" Her aura suddenly darkened again. "And when I say everything I mean _everything. _No matter how much he cares for any of you, or no matter how big of a secret it is, he _will _tell me, got it?"

"Of course!" Lenalee smiled, her legs quivering with fear. It was like she had some sort of godly power that made even grown men cry and beg at her knees. This chick, was _terrifying._

"Great! Then I hope we can all be friends! My buddy that came with me is Bak Chang."

"Bak...I heard my brother say something about him before!" Lenalee exclaimed, causing Fou to blink.

"Whose your brother?"

"Komui Lee, my name is Lenalee Lee." Lenalee said, pointing a finger at herself.

"Really? Interesting...Short Stack didn't tell me about that..." She was smiling kindly, but they could all see the hateful smile on her lips. Allen was in deep trouble now...

"H-he might not have known!" Lenalee said suddenly, attempting to defend her poor neighbor. Fou gave Lenalee a long, hard look. It was like she was _observing _her.

"To defend someone you don't know...I think I might like you. Might being the key word there. Oh, and to put it bluntly so you don't get any funny ideas, Allen's gay." Fou stated.

"Knew that one!" Lavi exclaimed joyfully. "He actually told me that...well not so directly...but he still kinda said he was...I think...hmm..." Lavi tapped his finger on his chin.

"Yeah, and he's the most wicked gay guy you will ever meet. So help me if one of you lays one finger on him-"

"Chillax~! We wouldn't hurt bean sprout-"

"Whenever you're talking to me, you'll either call him Allen, or Short Stack. Whatever you do, _don't _call him bean sprout. I might just have to kick your ass for that."

"Uh...okay?" Fou turned to Lenalee.

"Did he tell any of you what went on in high school? Did you guys at least _see _what he went through?" Fou asked incredulously. Lenalee bit her lip.

"Well...no, not really. I graduated last year, and Lavi graduated four years ago?" Lenalee looked to Lavi for confirmation. Lavi nodded his head. "So, we weren't really in any of his classes..."

"Uhuh, right. So, how long you got left to make it up to him?"

"Ah, 2 years!"

"Positive?"

"Yup! I swear that little prank I pulled wasn't meant to be used on him...it was actually for my grandfather, but he happened to walk in at the wrong time..."

Fou knew about Allen's crush on Lavi four years ago. It was before the pot of steaming bean sprouts was dumped on his head that Fou met Allen through a chat group of 'misfits' as they called it. Fou wanted to get to know more about Allen's story so she sent him a private message individually. It started off from there and once Fou found out he was gay, she wanted to know if he loved/liked anyone because gay relationships were always so much more better than 'real' relationships as some morons might put it. She was completely in love with the way Allen spoke about Lavi, he truly spoke from the heart and she admired Lavi for that. But, then when the prank showed it's face, she felt sympathetic with Allen and wondered why such a great guy like Lavi would pull such a stunt like that. So, it seems that Lavi wasn't a bad guy after all and he just wanted this all to work out so they could be friend.

Fou was definitely going to make this work out whether Allen and Lavi wanted it to or not.

* * *

**Wuh-oh, Kanda knows a secret! Thank you to ellarockabella, Shirubagure, CsillaDream, NinthAvenue for reviewing! If you would like a PM in response to your review, simply write PM after your review, thanks! You won't regret it! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for not updating for awhile...I've been...distracted. Yeah. That. Anyways, suggestions are welcome!**

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"Short Stack~! It's too hot outside, I'm hot, don't you have any Popsicles here!? When you were chatting with me you had plenty!" Fou whined at Allen as he unwrapped his head bandage from yesterday and massaged the areas where he got hit.

"I did...but I ate them all. It was hot out..."

"Awe c'mon! What about ice cream? Let's go get ice cream!"

"No."

"Why? It's just freaking ice cream." Allen pulled two strawberry shortcake eclairs out of the freezer and handed one to Fou as he unwrapped his own.

"Why bother eating out in the heat when we can eat some in here?"

"Hey! Why didn't you tell me you had ice cream?!" Fou stormed after him while he sat down on the couch and hit him over the head. None of them noticed the curious gaze from the screen.

"Ow, hey, that hurt!"

"It was supposed to. Maybe that could knock some sense into ya." Fou said as she sat down next to Allen on the couch. Allen gave her a questioning gaze.

"Uh, what?"

"You still like Lavi, don't you?"

"Wh-what? Of course n-not!"

"You're stuttering." She responded bluntly.

"A-am not!" Allen shouted back, blushing and taking a nibble at his ice cream. "Why would I like him when he did that to me...?"

"Did what?" Tyki asked, leaning over them for information.

"AH!" Both Fou and Allen shouted at the same time when they spotted Tyki.

"T-T-Tyki?! What are _you _doing here?!" Tyki looked at Fou curiously, she glared back.

"Okay, I've seen some creepy things in my life, but this one is pretty creepy. How did you get _in _here?"

"The door?"

"You just walked right in?!"

"Well, I didn't want to interrupt your conversation. It seemed...important." Tyki finished with a greedy look in his eye. Allen felt sweat beading down the back of his neck. _Did he hear our conversation? _Allen wondered, not noticing his avaricious eyes. Fou narrowed her eyes at him. He gave off an odd feeling and it felt...very odd but wrong. Sure, the guy was handsome, but she just had a bad feeling about him.

"You know this guy, Short Stack?" Fou asked, ignoring Tyki's comment.

"What? Oh yeah, he lives across the street from me."

"Is that so?" Fou grabbed her chin in thought. "Say, Tyki, do you know anyone named Road Camelot?" Both Allen and Tyki blinked a few times. _What does Road have to do with this? _Allen wondered.

"She's my niece, why?" Tyki answered, only to ask a question himself.

_Ah, I get it. Road was the one stalking Allen. She must be a pretty creepy person...so that's why he has such an odd aura around him. Because of his niece. But...why does she even stalk Allen? Does she want to get together with him or something? She says Allen is cute..._

"What does she think of Allen?" Allen looked at Fou, and then at Tyki, and then at Fou again. _Why is she asking that question? I already told her she stalks me..._Allen wondered.

"What does it matter what she thinks of Allen? She's already getting married after all." Tyki replied. Fou's eyes widened considerably. _Married? _She's getting _married? _

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up a little here...how _old _is Road?"

"She's older than I am." Both of the two occupants of the couch's eyes widened.

"How old are you?!"

"I'm twenty four." Tyki said, digging dirt from under his nails as if that was more important than the conversation right now. Fou gawked. "Why are you so surprised? Lavi is twenty one, and Kanda is twenty two."

"Then how old is she?!"

"She's twenty five." Allen shook his head violently. _Twenty five?! I went to high school with her! How could she be so old?! _"She went to school pretty late if you're wondering."

"Who exactly is she getting married to?!"

"Allen's uncle."

"WHAT?! Okay, now I'm confused. Explain." Fou demanded.

"Neah, his uncle, is twenty seven. Road is twenty five. They're getting married. The end."

"Ha ha ha, very funny. I mean...does Allen know about this?"

"Actually, yeah, he does." Tyki said, scowling. Fou looked at Allen, who held his hands up defensively.

"Okay, I knew that, but I didn't know that she was that old! She's still in high school...I believe she's graduating this year though."

"She is." Tyki replied.

"When did you learn about this?" Fou asked.

"Um...a few days ago maybe?"

"And you didn't _tell _me?!"

"Sorry!" Allen apologized quickly. Allen looked at Tyki for a little bit. "Anyways, Tyki, what did you come over here for?"

"Well, the real reason I came over here, was to question you about something Cross told me yesterday." _I wonder if that's why he had been avoiding me...had Cross said something to him about me? _

"What did he say to you?" Allen asked, hoping that Cross hadn't insulted him in any way. That sounded a lot like something Cross would do.

"Well, he told me something interesting about Neah and Mana." Allen blinked. What could Cross have possibly told him. "Does the word gang ring a bell to you in any way?" It definitely clicked in Allen's head. After Mana died and Cross became his guardian, Cross would tell him many things about how Mana and Neah used to work in the gang _The Akuma _and that's why they were after him. Because they didn't get the revenge they wanted. Allen frowned at Tyki. "So you did know about it? How is that? Neah hasn't been in contact with you for-"

"Neah didn't tell me about that. Cross did...and I didn't even think he was serious about that in the first place. I'm beginning to believe that he was serious though."

"He looked serious when he talked to me about it."

"I guess...it would explain what happened yesterday...and that very long time ago when...ah, well, anyways I don't know much about it so you'd have to ask Neah about it."

"Why don't you ask him about it? Aren't you interested as well?"

"Eh, I'd rather not." Surprisingly, Fou had been quiet during their entire conversation. She usually was loud, and loved to get involved with what Allen was talking about, but for some reason she hadn't said a word. Tyki started to wonder if Fou already knew about Allen's puzzlement with his past guardian's action. Allen meanwhile, was starting to get scared. The only time Fou was quiet was if she was scheming something. Fou was really just trying to figure out what kind of guy Tyki was. Poor Fou...being misunderstood so terribly.

"So, the _only _reason you came over here was for that? You should just buzz off then, pal."

"Buzz off?"

"Yeah, screw off. Leave Short Stack alone. He's got a much better person to love on than you." Allen blushed and pinched Fou's cheek.

"Why are you still going on about that?" Fou pinched and pulled his cheek back.

"Because you're just stubborn."

"Oh a much better person? Who could you possibly mean by that?" Tyki asked.

"Dumb nuts next door of course. He's a way better man than you are."

"Fou, cut it out, seriously."

"No way. Once I'm set on something, I ain't giving up."

"Hey! Who told you you could decide-"

"I didn't decide it, you're the one who decided it."

"What?"

"I'll tell you. As soon as this idiot leaves. Don't you have to go consult Neah about this other problem of yours? Go away so we can talk. Perv." Allen sighed. There was no stopping Fou once she wanted someone to leave. She would do anything for Tyki to get out of the house. Allen was a bit worried about Bak. He had long since gotten in the shower...what was he doing up there anyways? Tyki crossed his arms.

"Oh, and what are you going to do if I don't."

"Guys, please quit this senseless fighting. Tyki, if you don't leave you're seriously going to get hurt."

"Eh? You're siding with her?"

"I'm not siding with anybody!"

"Of course he's siding with me! I've been there for him way more than you have!"

"Would you two please stop-"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Fou charged at Tyki, headbutting him so that he would fly into the screen door. It just so happened that the trio next door were hanging out on the porch. They all looked next door to see Tyki flying onto the pavement. Allen sighed and stood up to go see if Tyki was okay. He took one step out the door when Fou yanked him inside. "OH NO YOU DON'T! GET IN HERE!"

"Hey! Let go of me!"

"Good, now that that creepy guy is gone, we can talk."

"FOU! THIS IS STUPID LET ME GO!"

"No way."

Meanwhile, Lavi and Lenalee stared over at Tyki with their jaws dropping as far as they could go. Kanda's eyes were pretty wide unlike they usually were. Tyki was holding his gut as he sat up. It took him all he had not to burst into laughter. That girl was pretty protective of Allen. He didn't expect her to follow through with getting him out of the house. He chuckled a bit and stood up, dusting himself off. He turned to look at Lavi, Kanda, and Lenalee. He smirked at them.

"I don't think you guys want to fuck with her." They all shook their heads quickly. It was then that Allen was also sent flying out of the house. They all stared at Allen, who looked pretty pissed off.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HIT ME YOU JERK!" Allen shouted angrily.

"I've never seen him so angry..." Lenalee muttered. "It doesn't really fit his character...he also seemed to have a nice aura around him, don't you think so, Lavi?"

"Nice? Um...sure..." He responded. Lenalee punched his shoulder. Fou also emerged from the house and stormed towards Allen. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the house. He didn't bother resisting. "Guys...remind me to _never _piss that girl off, okay?" Lavi said, turning his head towards them. Lenalee nodded her head.

"I think I'm going to take your advice, Lavi."

"Che, whatever." Kanda looked ahead, still surprised that a short girl can send them flying with one hit. Just who was this girl anyways? Tyki shook his head and headed towards his own house. Fou meanwhile sat Allen on the couch.

"Now, about earlier..." she began. "You had already decided that you were going to love Lavi." Allen face palmed.

"Fou, I was like fifteen when I said that."

"So? You seemed pretty passionate about it then. I will get you to say it again, just you wait!"

"Yeah, good luck with that." Fou wiped her forehead and looked over at the clock.

"Where did Baka go? It's like dinner time now. Hey, Short Stack, go make me food." Fou said, shoving Allen.

"Ugh, fine. I'm hungry anyways."

"Good. Oh, and make more so that five extra people can eat."

"Five?! Fou, what are you planning?" Fou simply grinned.

"Oh nothing~! You just go be cute in the kitchen and cook us up something. I'm going out for like five minutes and I'll be back with a few guests for dinner."

"Any suggestions?" Allen asked, standing up to go in the kitchen.

"Yes! How about...spaghetti?"

"Spaghetti? I guess that's alright. Sounds a bit messy to make though."

"Messy? No way, spaghetti's easy to make so it's not very...oh right, you're like a chef of something."

"I'm not an actual chef, Fou, I just concentrate-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I don't want one of your long speeches about the importance of cooking healthy food. I'll be back in a minute!"

"I thought you said five minutes?"

"Same difference!" Fou was out the door in seconds. Allen shook his head, smiling. He turned on the faucet to put water in it. That was when he began making his spaghetti. He started wondering what kind of 'guests' Fou meant. He was slightly surprised when she came back with his three neighbors. Two of them were quivering in fear. You can already guess which ones were trembling.

"How did I know." Allen muttered.

"So, bean sp—uh...Allen, what are you cooking?" Allen raised an eyebrow at Lavi. Lavi didn't call him bean sprout..._Does Fou have something to do with that? _Allen looked at Fou and she grinned, giving him a thumbs up. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Spaghetti." Allen replied, dumping meat into the spaghetti sauce, along with some other ingredients.

"I'll just...um...sit...yeah..." Allen couldn't help but grin. Lavi was so scared of Fou it was hilarious. Lenalee and Kanda also sat at the surprisingly large table. What did Allen need a large table for anyways? Truthfully, Allen got the table and chairs for a cheap price and that was the only reason he had such a large table.

"Okay, guys I've got a preposition!" Allen still grinned, even though he had no idea what Fou was talking about. He stirred the sauce well while putting the pan he made the meat in in the sink.

"Tell us, oh great Fou, what your preposition is." Allen replied, setting the food down on the table. It was the first time Lavi had ever seen the boy grin so wide. He looked over at Fou, who returned his grin with an even greater one. _Just who is she? _Allen wiped his face clean of any sauce and took off his sauce covered apron before throwing it downstairs where not only the extra bedroom was, but his laundry as well.

"A slumber party!" Allen's grin was wiped clean off his face.

"Huh?"

"Let's all have a slumber party! It'll help me get to know your neighbors better! I will need such information in the future after all."

"Information? What the hell are you going on about?" Allen asked. Lavi gasped and everyone looked at him. He pointed at Allen accusingly.

"You just said hell!" Both Fou and Allen sweat dropped. Allen looked back at Fou.

"Anyways, what are you planning to do?"

"Oh, c'mon! If I'm going to live in this neighborhood, I've got to know who my friends, enemies, and frienemies are, don't I?"

"Yeah, but then why can't you just learn who they are over dinner? That's the reason you invited them to dinner anyways right? And besides, I'm sure they've got work anyways."

"I don't!" Lavi waved his hand around childishly.

"Yeah, but do you seriously want to spend the night here?" Allen made a movement towards Fou with a tilt of his head and his eyes. Fou smacked him upside the head.

"I saw that." Allen stuck his tongue at her in response. Lavi itched his chin a little.

"Well, Lenalee and Kanda usually go to bed around 9, so I guess that's when we'll all leave."

"Oh no, at least _one _of you have to spend the night here! I need as much information as I can get." Lenalee immediately pointed at Lavi. Lavi gave her a horrified look.

"No! You can't ditch me like this Lenalee!" Lavi looked to Kanda for help. Kanda just looked away. "You traitors!" Allen frowned and sighed.

"Looks like someone has to sleep on a couch tonight." Allen said as he served himself a large plate. Lenalee, Kanda, and Fou chose this point to start piling food on their plate as well. Lavi simply sat there, panicking.

"What?! Wait, you guys! Can't we talk about this?! I can't sleep on a couch! It's too uncomfortable!"

"I'm sure if I could sleep on a couch after getting hit upside the head with a pipe and getting my head smashed against a wall, you can without any head injuries." Fou slammed her hands on the table and stood up.

"You got hit upside the head with a pipe?! WHO DID THIS?! WHERE ARE THEY?! I'LL KICK THEIR ASS!" Allen and Lenalee sweat dropped. Lavi stared at Fou in awe of how protective she was of Allen. Allen smacked his forehead, sighing. "Fou, I've already told you what happened, jeez."

"So that's what you meant when you said you had a concussion!? Holy hell, if that would have been me, I would've kicked some ass." Allen smiled and shook his head, twirling his fork in his spaghetti. Fou sat back down and followed Allen's actions with her own fork. They all ate somewhat quietly. Somewhat meaning Fou yapping their ears off and them just listening. "So, right, we need to think up some games to play until you guys leave! That's like four hours worth of fun."

"What games are you thinking Fou?" Allen asked, curiously. He never had friends over to his house before. Fou probably had some though so it shouldn't be too hard to cope if he had Fou with him.

"Oh, I've got some _real _interesting games I want to play with all of you!"

"Well, thinking about how perverted you are, and how violent you can get, I think it's safe to say that this idea might be worse than what I'm thinking of, correct?"

"Yup! This is going to be so exciting!"

"Okay, before we continue with your 'oh so great idea'...where did Bak go?"

"Baka? Um...I think he went to like check out the town and visit Kumio or whatever his name was."

"Komui." Allen corrected. Lenalee looked over at Allen, puzzled. _How does he know who my brother is? _

"How do you know him anyways?" Fou asked curiously. Allen shrugged.

"Some guy name Reever dropped by my house by mistake and mentioned him." Allen replied. Actually, Reever only called him Mr. Lee, but then Allen looked him up...but he didn't want to seem like some stalker.

"Baka tells me he's a pretty insane guy though." Allen was unsure if Fou meant insane like...crazy, or insane like cool.

"Never met him before, dunno if I ever will." Allen said, helping himself to spaghetti. He only wondered shortly why everything seemed so casual. He was eating dinner with the guy who hurt him so nonchalantly. He just pushed it aside, deciding that he was just strange when it came to social interactions.

"I could help you meet him if you want." Lenalee spoke up. Fou and Allen looked over at Lenalee. "He is my brother after all."

"Really? Baka told me a lot about you."

"Baka?" Lenalee questioned.

"Yeah, Bak Chang. I call him Baka though."

"...I don't know who that guy is..."

"Probably not, but he's good at stalking people, so he probably knows all about you three already." Lenalee and Lavi seemed a bit uncomfortable with that fact. Kanda really didn't care.

"That's a bit creepy." Lavi commented. Allen narrowed his eyes at Lavi.

"Says the guy who followed me in his truck." Lavi groaned at Allen's response.

"Don't tell me you're _still _grudging over that. Damn, I was right, you can really hold a grudge."

Lavi and Allen began to bicker at each other while Kanda looked extremely pissed off at the noise. Lenalee was a bit confused at Fou's grin that was planted firmly on her face. Why would she be grinning if they were fighting? She personally didn't like it when her friends fought with each other. So...just what was Fou grinning about. She leaned over towards Fou to whisper in her ear.

"I don't get it." Fou stopped grinning and looked at Lenalee.

"Don't get what?" Fou asked.

"Why are you smiling? They're fighting..."

"Pfft, fighting may be a word for it. Here, lemme tell you a secret and then you'll get it." Fou leaned over and whispered in Lenalee's ear this time. Lenalee's eyes widened considerably. "Get it?"

"No way..."

"Yup! It lasted up until that prank was pulled though I think he still feels that way even though he won't admit it." Lenalee smiled. Maybe the information Fou just gave her was true, maybe it wasn't. But, she'd have to find out soon enough. If it was true...then she could easily use that to her advantage to help Lavi.

"Okay guys! I have an idea of what our first game will be!" Fou suddenly exclaimed, ceasing Lavi and Allen's bickering for a moment. Kanda was a little bit thankful to her shouting...but he still felt a bit uneasy at her idea since Allen had labeled her as a perverted and violent person. Who knows what she could've thought up.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Allen muttered before shoving a large bite of spaghetti in his mouth.

"What's your great idea, Fou?" Lenalee asked. She had a feeling that she was going to like Fou a bit more, even if she was a little scared of her...

"TRUTH!" She stood up, shouting as loud as she could. She looked at them all with an evil, yet sly, grin on her face.

_...uh oh..._

"Or dare?"

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**Thanks to Shirubagure,** **Will of the Abyss – AllenxRoad, ellarockabella, DGrayManFanatic, Jazebeth, ThatOneGingerKid, CsillaDream, and Snipperita for reviewing! Uwah, all the reviews are making me so happy! ~ Remember, guys, suggestions are welcome and will most likely be used ^^ I will read any Laven fics you have if you PM me about them *wink wink* :3 My chapters are starting to get shorter :c Why?! Well, anyways, put PM after your review if you want me to respond to your review through a PM! ^-^**


	9. Chapter 9

**So...tired...I had an immense migraine this morning and slept all day...well...here's another chapter...ow...**

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Allen soon decided that he never should've let Fou into his house. But, it was too late now. She had already made her move, and he was done for. This was _truth _or _dare._ Something was _bound _to go wrong like truth or dare games always had. He would have to eat up punishment if he said something wrong. It wasn't only Fou with the devilish look in her eyes either. He swore he saw some of Lenalee's eyes reflecting the same expression. Just what was going on here?

"Okay! Everybody sit on their bottoms!"

No one hesitated to follow Fou's instructions. Allen just wanted to hide...or even go to sleep. He wasn't even tired, but he had a feeling that sleeping would be less embarrassing right now. Who _knows _what Fou was planning. If only Bak were here...he could at least warn Allen about her devious plans. She placed an empty glass coca cola bottle on the floor. Allen didn't even think that they still made those anymore...where could she have gotten such a bottle?

"Everyone listen up! I'm going to explain the rules carefully! You can change your decision from Dare to Truth _once. _If you'd rather do the dare, than choose the dare. But you can only do this once so don't use it up! I'll spin the bottle first and whoever it lands on, I get to ask Truth or Dare. Then, after that person answers the truth or successfully pulls off the dare, they spin the bottle and ask the person it lands on truth or dare and so on. If you do not successfully pull off the dare, not only will you have to answer a truth, but you have to strip off one piece of your clothing." Allen face palmed at Fou's rules. He knew that she'd pull a stunt like this. She placed her hand on the rim of the bottle and spun it quickly. The entire room was filled with suspense. It landed on Lenalee. She squeaked with surprise and swallowed nervously. Fou simply smirked. "Truth or dare?"

"Um...um..." Lenalee thought long and hard about her decision. "Truth."

"Damn...I don't know you very well, hmm..."

"Is it true that you've had a crush on Lavi before?"

"Yup!" Lenalee replied joyously. Lavi looked somewhat appalled.

"What?! No way, and I didn't even notice?!" Lavi crossed his arms stubbornly.

"It was like 1st grade, Lavi."

"Oh, okay, I get it then." Lavi replied, nodding.

"Go on Lenalee, spin the bottle~!" Fou sang. Lenalee did as she instructed and it landed directly at Allen. To say that Allen didn't like that look in her eye was more than an understatement.

"Truth or dare, Allen?"

"Uh...truth?"

"Is it true that you had a crush on Lavi your freshman year?" Allen's jaw instantly dropped. He closed his jaw and burned a cherry red color before glaring at Fou. Lavi seemed a lot more interested than what Allen thought he should be. He gritted his teeth while Fou was laughing joyfully.

"...yes..." Allen whispered hoarsely. Lavi's jaw dropped.

"What?! NO WAY!"

"Shut up." Allen spun the bottle, though he didn't seem as interested in this game anymore. However, his attention caught into the game when the bottle landed on Lavi.

"Oh shit." Lavi gasped.

"Truth or dare?"

"Shit...shit...um...truth!"

"You guys are a boring sack of potatoes." Fou suddenly intervened. "No dares? What a bunch of wimps." Fou huffed. Allen thought long and hard about what to ask Lavi.

"Is it true that you're bisexual-"

"Dare! I'm no chicken!" Lavi exclaimed, standing up. He made it seem as if he took Fou's comment as a challenge, when truly, he _really _didn't want to answer that question. If truth got out that he was bisexual...his life would be a living hell. Bookman would see to it. Allen blinked, a bit dumbfounded.

"Um...okay. I dare you to..." Allen blushed and looked away. "I'm not good at these things..." Lavi gave everyone a victorious smirk. He did remember a certain someone saying that Allen was too nice for his own good.

"I'll give you one!" Fou volunteered, raising her hand sky high in the air. Allen frowned, he didn't know if he could completely trust her ideas. She leaned over and whispered something into his ear. Allen blushed.

"Are you sure? That doesn't seem like such a great idea..."

"Sure it is! I'm sure he's kissed people before! It's not like it'd be is first kiss or anything." Lavi's victorious smirk dropped into a downright frown.

"I don't like this." Lavi commented. Allen covered his face, blushing.

"I can't say it..."

"Fine, I'll say it for you. Lavi, Short Stack here dares you to kiss Kanda on the lips." Kanda sent Lavi a murderous glare and Lavi paled quite a few shades.

"Hell no! I wanna hear Allen say it before I believe it!" Allen didn't look like he wanted to cooperate though, hiding his flushed face in his hands instead. Fou scowled.

"Do it. Or you'll have to answer that truth and strip." _What's more dangerous. People finding out that I'm bisexual, or kissing Kanda? Well, I really want to live for at least the next thirty years of my life. _

"I'll strip then. I ain't kissing him. He'll slit my throat."

"What could he possibly slit your throat with?" Fou asked curiously.

"He'll find something." Lavi replied, guaranteed. He took off his jacket and relaxed a bit more. "Well, you got me, I'm bisexual." Lenalee gawked.

"No way!" She declared.

"Che, I knew it." Kanda muttered. _So wait...I had a chance after all? _Allen wondered. _No! What am I saying?! _Allen peeked out of his hands. Finally, it was safe to come out now.

"Go ahead, Lavi, spin the bottle." Lavi nodded and spun the bottle. It landed on Fou. Lavi expected Fou to be worried, but she simply had a huge grin on her face and her body was simply radiating off excitement.

"Truth or-"

"Dare!" Fou interrupted.

"Um, okay. I dare you...to not be violent towards anyone for a week." Fou frowned. That definitely was not what she was expecting. She pouted.

"You guys are no fun." Allen actually looked a bit relieved at that. He was _living _with her right now after all. Fou smiled and spun the bottle. It landed on Lavi.

"Shit! Why is my luck so cursed?!"

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to french kiss Allen." She said without hesitation. Lavi just shrugged and headed towards Allen without a care in the world. Allen squeaked and backed away, his heart thrashing around wildly, trying to escape from the depths of his chest.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" His face was getting redder with each word he screamed.

"Don't be a wussy, Short Stack." Fou put a hand on her hip. Just go through with it. It's not like your life is going to end." Fou and Lenalee were watching intensely and Kanda was looking away.

"J-just a-a-a-answer the truth L-Lavi..." Allen stuttered, waving his hands around in desperation to get Lavi to stop. Lavi had no intention of doing so. Who _knew _what Fou would ask.

"No way, b—Allen. Hey, Fou, how long does the kiss have to be?"

"Hm...thirty seconds."

"Not too bad..." Lavi commented and looked back at Allen, who had suddenly disappeared.

He tried to make a run for it but Fou tripped him, giving Lavi the advantage. Lavi straddled himself on top of Allen, grinning victoriously. Allen blushed even more and hid his face. Both Fou and Lenalee were more than just eyeballing the scene now. Fou had a small streak of blood coming out of her nose. Lavi leaned downwards and Allen pushed his hands against Lavi's chest.

"S-stop it!" Lavi simply pinned Allen's hands down and leaned closer to Allen's face.

"Chill out, Allen, it's just a kiss jeez."

_Oh no...he's getting closer. _Allen's heart hammered painfully against his chest. He wanted so bad to just kick Lavi's butt right now, but he just felt so weak all of a sudden. His whole body flushed with warmth when their lips connected. Fou didn't care about her nosebleed at the moment and pulled out her phone to snap pictures of the two. Lenalee copied her movements as well. Kanda simply looked away.

As they kissed, Lavi could practically feel how fast Allen's heartbeat was going right now...but what did it mean? He didn't know what to think of it. It was just a kiss, right? Allen attempted avoiding Lavi's tongue as it darted around, searching for his own. He couldn't _believe _this was happening. And this was all Fou's fault! He knew something was going to go wrong! Lavi's tongue eventually found Allen's and when they touched, Allen gasped. Lavi was so confused why the boy was so shaky around him. It was just a dare and that's how Allen should treat it, so why was he getting so worked up over nothing?

"Times up!" Fou exclaimed and Lavi pulled away and hopped off of Allen. They all stared at Allen, awaiting his reaction. Allen just laid there for awhile. He'd never admit it...but that was the best kiss he'd ever had. He really just wanted to lock himself away in a dark room at the moment and think about what just happened.

"Oi, Short Stack, you okay there?" Fou asked while holding a tissue to her nose to clog her nosebleed. Lenalee was blushing and secretly hid her phone in her pocket. Fou shook Allen's shoulder. His eyes were lazily looking around. He felt so dizzy... "Lavi, I think you broke him." Lavi peeked over Fou's shoulder.

"Maybe he's never french kissed anyone before?" Lavi suggested.

"Congratulations, you're the first one." Fou replied.

"...can we stop playing now?" Allen asked, whining. Fou laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, sure! Here, get up now." Fou pulled on Allen's arm. Kanda, who was now paying attention the scene since their make-out session was over, saw Allen wince a bit as she patted his left shoulder. "Now for the next game!" Allen groaned and slumped against her.

"I'm tired, I wanna sleep." He whined shamelessly. He didn't care if he was an adult man at the moment. He just really wanted to sleep right now. Why did he feel so exhausted all of a sudden?

"Nope! Not happening!" Fou cheered. "Our next game is...Twister!"

"Lord help us all." Lavi muttered. Fou stood up, leaving Allen to face plant the carpet, and walked over to one of the large bags that seemed invisible before. She pulled out the white box and placed the mat accordingly on the ground. She picked up the spinner and looked at them all expectantly, rolling her eyes at Allen, who just laid there.

"If you don't play, Short Stack, I'll make you do something worse than this."

"There's something worse than Twister?" Lenalee asked.

"Oh yeah, I made sure to bring plenty of dresses for Allen to try on for me later. Kinda like dress up." Fou smirked evilly. Allen groaned and sat up slowly.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Allen asked. He had just had the kiss of his life and now this woman wanted him to play Twister? Did she bump her head or something?

"I don't hate you! I just thought you'd look cute in them~! I bought them specially for you~!"

"I hate you." He growled at her.

"Love you too~!" Fou replied cheerfully. "Okay everyone! On the mat!"

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Lenalee murmured. Kanda looked extremely ticked off that he had to participate. Why couldn't he spin the damn needle?! Allen limply crawled over and Fou was actually starting to feel slightly worried if not guilty. Maybe she went a bit too far...

"You have to stand up, Short Stack."

"I don't wanna." He whined pathetically. Right now, Allen felt like a child who didn't want to go to school in the morning. He just wanted to go to sleep and forget this ever happened. Even though a deep part of him inside wanted Lavi to kiss him again.

"It'll be fun, c'mon, we only have like two hours left! That's two more activities! What do I gotta do to get you motivated?" Allen shrugged at her question. "How about after we're done, I'll buy you Denny's." Allen's head perked up.

"Food?"

"Yes, food, Allen. Now get up so you can have food." Allen instantly stood up.

"I'm up!"

Lenalee and Lavi sweat dropped. _Didn't he just eat?! _They both wondered.

"Right! Now that we've got this started, let's play!" Fou spun the wheel excitedly. "Whoever wins gets to be the spinner!" Kanda guaranteed himself to win. He did _not _want to play this stupid game. Allen tilted his head confusingly. The mat looked a little weird...the dots weren't all aligned in a row, but they were placed in random places.

"Hey Fou...are you sure you got the right mat?" Allen asked.

"Positive! I made this one myself!" She replied.

"Whoa, you can do that?!" Lavi exclaimed. "Amazing...I've never really played Twister before so I don't know what the original mat looked like." Lenalee and Fou looked at him incredulously.

"What kind of childhood did you have?! I mean, I can understand if Short Stack hadn't played it, but what the hell did _you _do when you were younger?!"

"I read books and helped my grandfather with work." He replied. Fou shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you had such a terrible childhood." She 'mourned'.

"Wait, you said that Allen hadn't played so how does he know how to play?!"

"Oh, I talked to him about it, duh."

"Talked...where do you live?" Lavi asked curiously.

"Well, I originally lived in some forgotten place in Asia until now. Now I'm gonna live with Allen for a bit until we find a house."

"We?"

"Stop asking question, Ginger." Fou snapped. "Get on the mat. The rules are pretty freaking simple. I was thinking about tweaking the rules a bit, but I think today has been hectic enough already for little Allen here."

"I wonder whose fault that is?!" Allen growled accusingly.

"You want food right?" Allen stopped growling. "Good boy." Allen tried his best to restrain another growl. He was not a dog and Fou could so easily manipulate him!

"Okay everyone! Right foot on red." Everyone put their right food on red, and no, they weren't side by side either. The mat's dots were scattered and jumbled up so that it would be even harder to not fall on each other. "Right hand on blue!" Fou watched, clearly amused, as they still struggled and the game had just started already! "Left foot on green." They were nearly all twisted up already! "Left hand on yellow." She continued calling out the limbs and colors and was soon getting very entertained. All the guys were all tangled up and Lenalee was just her own island out there, giggling at their frustration. She had it easy. Fou sat there giggling the entire time and snapping pictures.

"Fou..." Allen wheezed. "Hurry it up."

"As you wish. Right hand on yellow."

"You've _got _to be kidding me." Allen growled. They were all tangled up in limbs and sweat started getting involved. Whoever knew that Twister could be so much work?

"Guys...I think it's safe to say we now successfully pulled off the human pretzel." Lavi muttered.

"Get your ass out of my face, stupid rabbit!" Kanda murderously growled. Allen was forced to do a back-bend and Lavi was leaning right over him. Fou had to have planned this out carefully or something!

"What are you trying to accomplish here, Fou?!"

"Hey, I didn't do that. The Twister mat is the one doing it."

"You made the Twister mat!" He argued back.

"Oh yeah, good point."

Fou searched through their limbs to try and find a circle that Lavi would have to put his limb on and get closer to Allen. Kanda's leg happened to be under Allen though. This wasn't going to end well...Lavi thought this was just as entertaining as Fou did, and was oblivious to the fact that Allen's heart still desired his own. He also forgot the fact that Allen was gay. And he didn't like touching people either. He flinched every time someone's limb hit his own. This game was horrible for someone such as himself.

"Right hand on blue." Fou said in a sing song voice. Allen didn't even see her spin the needle that time. _That cheater! _Allen sighed and gave up. He wasn't very competitive anyways. He fell down and Kanda growled as he fell as well. Since they were all tangled up, Lavi ended up falling with them. Lenalee was obviously the winner of this long and hard battle.

Allen was exhausted. He didn't want to play anymore games with Fou anymore. It was still eight o' clock and they all had at least one more hour...how was he supposed to get her to let him rest? Anymore roughhousing and he would probably collapse from exerting himself too hard. Even though it was night outside, he still felt like he was in an oven. He didn't even bother moving when Kanda death threatened him to get off his leg. His muscles felt like jelly.

"I think I'm stuck." Allen said. Fou began laughing manically.

"Dude, even Yu has broken out into a sweat!" Lavi said, pointing at Kanda. "Remind me never to play Twister with her again." Lavi said, nudging Lenalee. Lenalee shrugged.

"It wasn't that bad." Lenalee replied.

"That's only because you weren't made into a human pretzel!" Lenalee giggled at Lavi. Fou started poking Allen's cheek. Allen tried his best to ignore Fou.

"Would you please stop?" He asked her.

"Awe, what's wrong? Did somebody get tired?" Fou cooed, pinching his cheek. Allen's phone started ringing and said owner of the phone groaned.

"Can you get that for me?" Sure, Allen didn't feel comfortable with Fou shoving her hands down his pockets, but he'd rather her answer it instead. He was too tired to move. Kanda and Lavi started picking a fight because Lavi called Kanda weak and Lenalee just copied Fou's actions and snapped a few pictures. Ah, memories. Fou looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Cross.

"It's Cross." Fou said blankly. Allen groaned even louder. Fou laughed in return.

"I'll answer it for ya."

"Thanks." Allen said, sighing with relief. He closed his eyes as Fou pressed the talk button.

"This is Crack Cafe, may I take your order?" Allen elbowed her with all the might he had left in him. "Ow, okay, I'll be serious jeez. Sorry, Cross, Short Stack's a little tired now so he can't talk to ya."

"...this isn't Cross..." A somewhat smooth but playful voice answered.

"What? The Caller ID clearly states Cross, who is this?" Fou stood up and left the room.

"Fou! Where are you going with my phone?" Allen whined.

"Stupid rabbit, I'LL KILL YOU!" Kanda suddenly screamed and found a random butter knife and chased Lavi around with it. Lenalee laughed very loudly and Allen sighed.

"ALLEN! Help me!" Lavi whined, running away from Kanda.

"Yeah, Kanda, just make sure you don't break anything, okay?" Allen told him, Kanda opened his mouth but closed it when Allen continued. "And no, I'm not talking about the bones in Lavi's body, break anything you want there. I mean don't mess up my house."

"ALLEN! You're so mean!" Lavi cried, running away from Kanda.

"What's going on over there?" The mysterious man on the phone asked.

"Don't worry about that. Tell me who you are."

"Allen knows who I am."

"I don't give a damn if he does. _I _was asking who you were not him."

"My name is Neah." Fou's eyes widened at their fullest length. She peered back into the living room to see Kanda, Lavi, and Allen making a human sandwich. Lenalee just laughed some more and took more pictures. She hid back in the kitchen and pretended to check out some sharp butcher knives.

"Why the fuck are you calling him?" She asked rudely. Neah was quiet for a moment.

"How do you know who I am?"

"You're Allen's uncle right? The one who ditched him alone with Cross? Yeah, I know all about you."

"Who are you again?" Neah asked.

"That's none of your business, now answer the question."

"Why do I have to-" Neah was about to ask why he had to answer the question...but suddenly a loud scream interrupted their conversation.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! SOMEONE CALL 911 ALLEN'S BLEEDING!" Lavi screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Allen screamed back. "You're being over dramatic." Allen hit Lavi over the head.

"OVERDRAMATIC MY ASS! LOOK! LOOK! BLOOD! OH MY GOD!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Fou quickly ran into the living room and nearly fainted at the sight.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ALLEN?!" She screamed as loud as she could and handed the phone to Lenalee.

"Uh, what do I do with this?" She asked, a bit panicky but not as bad as Lavi.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT DON'T KILL ME!" Lavi ran away and hid behind the couch.

"Excuse me, who am I talking to?" Neah asked.

"Lenalee Lee, who am I talking to?" Lenalee asked more politely.

"You're different from the girl before..." Neah said curiously.

"Yeah..." Was all she said.

"So what's going on?"

"Oh...well Lavi just impaled Allen with a butter knife and now everyone's freaking out." She said nonchalantly. Neah was quiet for a long time.

"A butter knife?" He questioned.

"Mhmm...and Lavi was just sent flying out the window..." She whispered just as Fou kicked Lavi out the window.

"You guys are overreacting, sheesh." Allen said a bit softly and pulled the butter knife out easily. Fou fainted. "Uwah! Fou?! Are you alright?!"

"And now he's panicking..." Lenalee observed.

"Idiot! You need to stop the bleeding or you'll die!" Kanda grumbled.

"What?!" Allen exclaimed. "But—it's not even _that _bad!" Kanda stood up, looked for bandages, obtained some bandages and gauze, and walked over to Allen.

"You guys are morons." He said simply and pushed the gauze down on Allen's leg.

"Okay OW! That hurts! Quit it!"

"Do you _want _to die?!" Kanda asked grumpily.

"No..." Allen pouted. Fou woke up and looked over at Allen.

"Phew, no more blood, what a relief!" She exclaimed. "Say, where did that idiot Lavi go?"

"You kicked him out the window." Allen replied.

"Oh yeah...oh right! I was having a conversation just now! Here Lenalee, hand me the phone." Fou held out her hand. Lenalee handed it to her.

"That's _my _phone!"

"You didn't want to answer it." Fou retorted.

"Oh yeah, I didn't, that's right. So what did Cross say?" Allen asked.

"Um...can I speak to Allen now?" The person over the phone asked.

"No, you can't." Fou replied. Allen still waited patiently for Fou's reply. "He just said that he wanted to get to know me." Fou said to Allen, patting his shoulder.

"Uh...are you sure?"

"Well I am _living _here now after all." Fou grinned at that. Neah, on the other side of the phone, was thinking bitterly: _Liar. _"Well, I'm going to go in the kitchen now, um...I think one of you should check on Lavi, make sure he's not dead, ya know?" Kanda finished wrapping up Allen's leg. Allen winced at the sight of the butter knife covered in blood.

"Ew. I'm not using that butter knife ever again. Wait, where did you even get that butter knife?!" Allen asked Kanda. Kanda shrugged. Lenalee stood up to go see if Lavi was alright. Lavi was just recovering and holding his head.

"Ow..." He whined. "Lenalee~, can we go home now~? I don't feel so good~." Lavi whined.

"Sure, sure, let's say goodbye to Allen though first."

"Okay..." Lenalee held Lavi's arm over her shoulder and helped him into Allen's house. "Well, bean sprout, we're heading out now. C'mon Yu."

"Don't call me that!" Kanda mumbled. He growled at Lavi. What a surprise.

"My name is Allen." Allen retorted bitterly. _So he acts like he wants to when Fou's around, but when she's gone, he acts all bitter towards me again? That's fucked up. _

"See ya." Lenalee helped Lavi out of the house and Kanda just stormed ahead of them. Allen sat there for awhile. He felt so exhausted that he didn't even know if he could make it to his bedroom upstairs.

"Hey, Fou?" Allen called softly. Fou walked into the living room, still holding the phone to her ear. "So, who are you really talking to?"

"What? I told you-"

"That isn't Cross. I lived with him for six years, I think I know him better than you do."

"You don't want to talk to whose on the phone." She replied.

"How do you know that?" Neah asked on the other line.

"Hmm. Who is it?" Allen asked. Fou was silent for a bit.

"Neah."

* * *

**The story was starting to die at the end so I had to throw something in there. And YES it is possible to be impaled with a butter knife as long as a dangerous red head is running around with it in his hands. How did Lavi acquire the butter knife? The world may never know...Anyways, thanks to...did I ever mention that I REALLY love you guys? XD I usually at least only have 5 reviews per chapter meaning this story should only have 45 reviews, but it has FREAKIN 50! I love you all so much -cries- Well, anyways, I'm still taking those suggestions! :D Thanks to Snipperita, ankhesenamun2, CsillaDream, Shirubagure, AllenMoyashiWalker, ellarockabella, Jazebeth, AU Queen, and NoName-chan for reviewing! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Allergies suck. I can't even count how many times I've sneezed today! D; I'm just tired now...ugh...stupid sneezing...stupid crickets...stupid sheep in tuxedos...stupid brain...lovely bed...-snore-.**

* * *

"O-oh...I see." Allen stuttered. Why had Neah called his phone? Didn't Fou say that it had been Cross who had called? "But I thought you had said..." Allen broke out into a sweat. What was he going to say? He wasn't ready to talk to Neah again and what would they talk about?

"Calm down, Short Stack, I got ya covered! You should just rest now, being stabbed with a butter knife and all..." Fou shivered, remembering the scene clearly in her head.

"I guess...I...am a bit tired." Allen said, rubbing his eyes. "But my leg hurts and I can't get up."

"Okay, I'll help ya. Just lemme hang up. Bye strange uncle of Allen's!" She exclaimed before hanging up. Allen sweat dropped. He probably should've just taken the phone instead. Hopefully Neah wouldn't be too mad... "Okay, upsie daisies." Fou pulled Allen's arm over her shoulder, similar to how Lenalee had done to Lavi earlier.

Allen was lighter and easier to carry though. After taking a few minutes getting up the steps, Fou tucked Allen into bed...literally. She even kissed his forehead before turning off the light. Allen felt like a little kid again and it was a nice break from all the stress going on. His house had to be more than just cursed because he was stressing himself out everyday. He snuggled into his comforter and fell asleep peacefully. Or however peacefully a person stabbed by a butter knife could sleep.

It was at eight o' clock in the morning that Fou received a text message from the owner of the house. Not five seconds after she read the message had she already jumped out of bed and sprinted upstairs, pulling Bak out of bed along with her. It was 8:01am when the door to Allen's room had slammed into the wall. _That's going to leave a mark. _The boy in bed thought bitterly and sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have texted Fou after all...well, it's not like he could get up to go tell her anyways...

Allen was sick.

"Oh man..." Four muttered. Allen looked over at her with bleary eyes. "You're sick!"

"Uh, yeah?" Allen said thickly. So thickly that his British accent was clear.

"Okay, I know that I shouldn't be saying it but—awe! You're accent is adorable! Fou rejoiced. If Allen had not been sick, she probably would've hugged him. Allen just grunted in return.

"Um...could you get me some painkillers? My head hurts...and I feel sore."

"Sure thing!" Oh, and I'll take care of all your visitors today so just relax!"

"Are you sure?" Allen didn't really like putting stress on people for his sake.

"Yup, just sit there and be cute." Fou said, pecking him on the cheek. "But I totally wanna check out your arm later, kay?" Allen had winced for the fact that she saw his arm so easily and he forgot to hide it under the covers.

"I...okay..." Allen nodded, closing his eyes.

Ever since he moved in...lots of things had been going on lately. Was his house cursed or something?

* * *

Two hours after Allen had gotten sick and closed his eyes to rest, two visitors came to see him. Fou was busy in the kitchen making soup with Bak's guidance. She wasn't very talented when it came to cooking. The doorbell rang and Fou looked at Bak. Bak nodded and took over. Meanwhile, outside, a familiar (to Allen) long red haired man stood at his doorstep. The man had glasses, a goatee, and half of a white mask over the right side of his face. The one behind him was a bit more nervous at arriving at the house. If anyone had truly looked at the few picture frames put up around Allen's house, they would know that it was Neah standing there.

"Good luck getting in there!" Lavi said from the porch next door, waving. Cross looked over at him, noticing his black eye. "Tried that already." He said, pointing at his eye. Neah winced. He didn't think Allen could be so violent...Lavi smirked at them. He actually got the black eye from when he was kicked out the window yesterday but Fou made a deal with him to try and ward off visitors today for some reason. Cross knocked on the door anyways. Fou swung the door open. She put her hand on her hip and leaned against the doorway.

"Who the hell are you?" Cross asked quite rudely.

"Judging by the way you just spoke to me, I'd guess that you're Cross." Fou looked behind him at Neah. "And you must be Neah. Whadaya want, Allen can't come down today and no one's allowed here so screw off."

"How do you know who I am?"

"That doesn't matter. I need to see the brat immediately."

"I told you he can't see anyone right now."

"And why the hell not?!" Cross grumbled.

"He's sick."

"That's what I'm here for! But don't ask me why this idiot is here, I've no clue." Cross said as he jerked his thumb at Neah. Fou looked around for any signs of Lavi.

"Alright, alright, come in." She waved them in quickly. "Baka, is that soup done yet?" Fou asked into the kitchen.

"Yeah!" He replied, carrying a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup to her."

"Awesome!" Fou accepted the bowl, trying to not shout at the high temperature in her hands. She started walking upstairs. "Allen's up here." Cross followed her. Neah awkwardly stood in the living room, deciding not to see Allen just yet. Instead, he decided to take a small tor of the house. He sneezed and looked around, spotting a cat. He was allergic to cats...Bak said a small 'Bless you' from in the kitchen. Neah responded with a short 'Thanks'. He walked away from the cat and stopped to look at a small table that had a few picture frames from the old days. He sighed and looked up the stairs. Shaking his head, he walked up the stairs and disappeared to a corner of Allen's room, observing. He noticed that there were a lot more pictures in Allen's room than the living room.

Allen meanwhile, laid sick in bed, breathing heavily. Fou had the most worried look on her face. She had set the soup down on his bedside table and tried shaking his shoulder to wake him up. It wasn't working out very well. She switched rag on his forehead and placed a hot rag around his neck and shoulders to ease away the pain. Cross explained his sudden sickness. As it turned out, it wasn't just a cold. Apparently, when Allen was injured, the alleyway he was knocked out in had just undergone inspection and there was a very rare virus located in it. Allen must've caught the virus somehow...

"Allen. Allen, wake up, you have to eat something..." She shook him again. This time, he opened his eyes. He blearily scanned the room until his eyes landed on a worried Fou.

"Oh...good morning, Fou." Fou face palmed at his greeting. She expected Allen to say at least something about how he was feeling. Allen looked over at Cross and narrowed his eyes. "How did you find my house?" Cross blew a drag of smoke in Allen's direction before speaking. Allen was used to this so he just held his breath until the smoke disappeared.

"Your neighbor is that Lavi kid. Bookman said that."

"Who is that again? He sounds familiar..."

"He's Lavi's grandfather and my partner when I worked in the police force. Not to mention he was the one who treated you when you were knocked upside the head with a pipe a few days ago." Cross replied casually. Neah's eyes widened. What was this about him getting hit upside the head with a pipe?!

"Oh...so why are you here?" Allen asked. Cross smirked and held up a very evil looking needle.

"Medicine." Fou had never thought she'd see the young adult so scared. "Don't you dare move, you'll just strain your body more" Allen glared at him, his scared expression now disappearing.

"Don't you dare touch me with that thing!" Fou started laughing.

"You're afraid of needles, but you're not afraid of getting stabbed with a butter knife?! You make no sense, Short Stack!" Allen blushed, but it blended in perfectly with his fever's flush.

"I hate needles..." Allen muttered grudgingly.

"He's not lying either." Neah finally spoke up, attracting everyone's attention instantly.

"Whoa! When did you get there?! Fou jumped out of her chair and pulled a ninja move. The room became quite awkward after he spoke up. No one knew what to say. Fou decided to break the ice. "So, what do ya mean anyways?"

"Huh?" Was Neah's intelligent reply.

"You said he's always been like that." Allen closed his eyes. He didn't want to be a part of this conversation. He ended up dozing off in the process.

"Yeah, ever since he was little, he always hated getting shots."

Neah remembered the time Allen had to get a blood test...

"_Mana, where are we going?" Little, brown haired Allen asked for the fifth time in the last ten minutes._

"_Be patient, Allen." Mana said nervously. Allen huffed and crossed his arms. He yawned._

"_Boring!" Neah grinned at Mana's frustration. They finally parked at a hospital. Allen's eyes were as wide as saucer's. "Wh-why are we here, Mana?" _

"_Well, you see Allen, you have to take a blood test." Mana informed._

"_Wh-what's a blood test?" Allen asked. Neah grinned and Mana shot him a warning look that screamed 'Don't do it!'_

"_It's when they suck blood out of your arm like a mosquito. Only they use a—" Mana slapped a hand over Neah's mouth and Allen looked at him cautiously._

"_They use a what? What do they use, Mana? Why do they want my blood? Are they vampires?" Mana chuckled at Allen's curious questions. Neah took this as the chance to take Mana's hand off his mouth._

"_They use a needle." Neah finished. Both Mana and Allen's eyes widened. Mana hurried out his door to open Allen's before he could lock it and make their struggle even more harder. He opened Allen's door and Allen looked like a dear in headlights. He looked at Mana, horrified, and started throwing a hissy fit, screaming all over the place._

"_NO, NO, NO! STOP IT! I DON'T WANNA! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Allen screamed and kicked as Mana unbuckled his car seat. He was below eighty pounds so he had to sit in a toddler's car seat. As Mana took him out of the car, Allen's screams and kicks got louder. Neah was laughing pretty hard and Mana glared at his good-for-nothing brother that wouldn't help him with the boy. Neah knew Allen's hated needles! Strangers started to look over, some disgruntled, some confused, some afraid, and some angry._

"_Allen, stop it. It's just a little poke." That just made Allen scream louder. Mana looked to Neah for help. Neah sighed and ruffled his own hair. This was kind of his fault after all..._

"_Allen, if you don't cry or scream, I'll buy you as much ice cream as you want after you're done." Neah cooed. Allen instantly shut up. He looked up at Neah with large, teary eyes._

_"R-really?" Allen sniffled. _

"_Yeah, but you can't cry or scream, okay? You have to sit still like a good little boy." Allen sniffled and held onto Mana's pant leg the entire way into the hospital. The nurses would point at them and giggle. It was a pretty adorable site. Mana walked into the doctor's office. Allen saw the needle and items that were prepared and clutched onto Mana's pant leg tighter, shutting his eyes like the world depended on it. The doctor chuckled._

"_Come in." The young doctor smiled, motioning Allen to sit down into the too-comfy-to-be-a-regular-chair-so-it-was-suspicio us chair. _

_He looked around the age of twenty—much too young for a doctor—and he had black hair that stood up behind him and a white bang that hung in front of his face. He had pointy ears and the sharpest teeth Allen had ever seen before. He also wore a black cloak unlike all the white lab coats the doctors usually wore. The man's kind smile didn't reach Allen. His name tag clearly stated: A. Krory. Only one word appeared in Allen's mind when he met the man._

_Vampire. _

_Allen clenched even tighter onto Mana's pant leg that his fist was white. Mana sat down in the chair and propped Allen up on his lap. For a tough little kid, Allen sure was a crybaby when it came to needles. Krory smiled and sat down in front of them. He held out the needle and Allen inched away from him. Neah watched, clearly amused with the situation. _

"_Hold your arm out now." Allen hesitantly put his right arm out. Krory pushed the sleeve up and applied a tourniquet to his arm so that his veins popped out. He applied a cool, wet pad to Allen's arm to disinfect it. The needle approached closer and Allen panicked, inching away from him. Neah chuckled in the corner. Allen felt another hand grasp his own and looked up to see Mana smiling down at him. "I'm going to insert the-" Mana gave him a look. "Uh. I'm going to inject you now?" Allen bit his lip when the needle poked into his arm. He looked away. It felt like his entire arm was getting squeezed. He squeezed Mana's hand tightly. Mana continued to smile, despite the fact that his hand felt so obliterated right now. After it was over, Allen let go and huffed. Teardrops gathered at his eyes. _

"_You can cry now, Allen." _

_Allen __**bawled. **_

_Krory placed the vial in a safe distance and put a band aide on the boy's arm, frowning. Mana winced and shook his hand a bit, trying to relieve it from the pain. Neah laughed and ruffled Allen's hair. _

"_So, anyone hungry for ice cream?"_

_Allen made sure to eat Neah's entire wallet out. _

_Revenge sure was sweet; and in more ways than one._

Neah finished his story, wincing a bit, remembering how much ice cream Allen ate. He got sick the next day from it too but Mana pampered the kid and made sure to cure him up. They all sat there in silence before Fou began to laugh like a hyena. Cross looked at the sleeping Allen bewilderingly. He may pretend to be sweet and polite all he wanted, but this kid sure could be _evil. _Cross then realized that Allen was _sleeping. _This was the perfect chance. He took Allen's left arm and inserted the needle in, pressing the clear liquid inside Allen's veins.

"The most this medicine will do is numb the pain that he hasn't started feeling yet. But keeping his fever down and his headaches under control is up to you. The virus isn't contagious, but I have a feeling that he's slightly immune to it so he won't get too sick from it, though he'll probably catch a small cold." Cross straightened up. He looked at Neah. "And what will you do?" Neah bit his lip. This girl scared the crap out of him...but he should at least be here for Allen now when he was hurt, shouldn't he? And he wanted to know more about this tale of how Allen was beaten up.

"I'll stay here for the time being."

"Are you sure?" Cross asked. Neah nodded.

"Positive."

"Alright then, I'll talk to you later, Neah." Cross grunted and left the house without another word but a small pat to Timcanpy's head, who curled next to Allen lovingly.

Fou only briefly wondered where he suddenly came from. She remembered that Allen told her that he had a cat, but she didn't even see the cat jump on the bed. That cat was a total ninja. She stared at Allen, who panted softly as he slept. Fou pressed her hand against Allen's forehead and decided to get him a new rag. She glanced at Neah shortly. She didn't necessarily know what to feel about him staying here. An extra hand would help...Fou walked back in the room and applied the rag to Allen's forehead. She had to do a double take when she saw another cat sleeping next to the golden one. It was black. And a girl. Whose cat was this? Allen said he only had one cat...the doorbell rang and she blinked.

"Stay here and watch over him. I've gotta answer the door." Fou didn't feel completely comfortable with leaving Allen alone with Neah, but it's not like she could tell Neah to answer the door. Besides, Neah was Allen's uncle...he wouldn't do anything stupid. She opened the door and saw a pissed-looking Kanda glaring at her. Fou raised an eyebrow. Not many people had the guts to glare at her. Lavi looked a bit panicky behind Kanda and Lenalee was just observing the area curiously.

"Move." Kanda growled, shoving Fou aside. He climbed the steps ("How does he know that Allen's up there?" Lavi wondered aloud.) and first looked around Allen's study room.

"Yu-chan~! Don't be so hateful~!" Lavi glided up the stairs and Lenalee followed after.

"DON'T GO UP THERE!" Fou screamed after them and came pounding upstairs. Lavi was absolutely _terrified _at the moment. Fou was going to literally _kill _them. Kanda was just about to open Allen's door when Fou stepped in front of him and blocked the door.

"Che. Move out of the way."

"Fuck off, Jap." Fou seethed. "What do you want?"

"Why are you blocking that door?" Lavi asked curiously. Him and his brain of curiousness.

"You can't go inside." She said, still glaring with Kanda.

"Why not?" Lenalee asked innocently.

"Oh! Is that Allen's room?" Lavi asked, hitting the mark.

"It is." Kanda gritted through his teeth. "Now let me through."

"What for?" Fou asked. Even if he had a good reason, the probability of letting them in was 1%.

"My cat." That took her off guard.

"Huh, you mean that black one that likes Tim?" She asked. Kanda growled at her. "That's very attractive." She said sarcastically. "Your cat is stalking Allen's cat. No kidding. I'll get your cat, just wait downstairs." Fou shooed them away. Kanda grudgingly complied, throwing himself onto Allen's couch when he got downstairs. Lenalee and Lavi sat on the furniture like normal people.

"I wonder why she won't let us in his room." Lavi said.

"I wonder how Kanda knew where his room was." Lenalee joined in. They both looked at him. He just looked away.

"Che."

"Who're you guys?" Bak randomly appeared in the living room. Lavi and Lenalee threw themselves off the couch in shock.

"What are _you _doing here?!" Lavi asked. Bak frowned.

"I could ask you the same thing..."

"They're Allen's neighbors." Everyone looked up to see Fou coming downstairs with a pissed off black cat in her arms. "She's pissed off. She wanted to sleep next to Tim, but Tim wanted to sleep next to Allen." Fou put the cat in Kanda's arms. She never would've guessed that Kanda was a cat person...he didn't seem...gentle enough.

"So what's up with Allen?" Lavi asked, changing the subject.

"None ya business!" Fou snapped at him. Both Lenalee and Lavi flinched, afraid that she'd actually hit them. They heard a squeal upstairs and Neah bolted down the stairs into the kitchen, peeking in the living room. "What the _hell _are you doing?!" Fou exclaimed.

"A-A-Allen was waking up! I...I c-can't stay in there!"

"How old are you again?!" Fou scolded.

"Ugh, what's all the noise about?" A thick, British voice said, a sneeze following afterwards. Fou nearly screamed. Allen winced. "Ow..."

"GET BACK IN BED!" She screamed at him, pushing him back towards the stairs.

"Hn? What for? I'm hungry..."

"I made soup for you!" Fou replied.

"It's cold."

"UGH! I'll fix you some more, just go lay down!"

"Why? Where did Cross go? He's not gonna jump me, is he?" Fou laughed.

"Actually, while you were sleeping, he gave you that shot."

Allen fainted.

"What the hell?!" Fou exclaimed, catching him.

"What happened?!" Bak asked.

"He passed out..."

"Why?"

"I dunno." Fou felt his forehead. "Get over here and get him upstairs. How troublesome." She shook her head. Bak nodded and slid Allen's arm over his shoulder. Fou made sure that he didn't fall downstairs with Allen. "I didn't think he was _that _scared of needles, jeez. And what the hell are _you _guys still doing here?!"

"Dude! Did you hear his accent?!" Lavi exclaimed. "That was awesome! Oh...and whose the guy hiding from Allen in the kitchen?"

"He's Allen's uncle." Fou replied.

"Then why is he so scared of him?" Lavi asked suspiciously.

"He's not scared _of _him. He's scared of _meeting _him."

"Oh...why?" Fou just sat there and looked at him. She looked, and looked, and looked. "What?"

"Get out."

"What?! No~!" Lavi whined. "I'll help Allen get better!" Lavi proclaimed, standing up tall. Fou gave him a suspicious look that time.

"What for?"

"Because I wanna be his friend, duh!" Lavi grinned. Fou smirked.

"Okay."

"Really?" Lavi didn't think that she'd so readily agree. _What is she thinking about? _Lavi wondered suspiciously. They heard another sneeze upstairs.

"Yeah, looks like Allen's awake again. I should probably make him soup before he eats Baka."

That sentence made no sense at all to the three sitting there.

All the same, Fou walked into the kitchen to heat up some more chicken noodle soup for Allen. Lavi's 'kind attempts to save Allen' would definitely bring the two more closer together. Allen would feel thankful to Lavi and they could slowly get to know each other better as Lavi took care of Allen. In her opinion, it was a fantasy come true. Everyone wanted their crush to be there to take care of them no matter what their relationship was.

Maybe Fou could get that grudge that Allen had on Lavi worked off after all.

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**Thanks to Snipperita (please don't die lol), Shirubagure, Jazebeth, CsillaDream, myangelicladyofdarkness, ThatOneGingerKid, NoName-chan, Lavi Bookman 2, anonon (Guest) for reviewing! :3 Is it bad that some of your names are saved in my dictionary on my document? (XD Damn those red lines of annoyance! Right?) If you would like a PM in response to your review put PM after your review. Thanks again! Lurve you guys.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ugh this is weird, I don't normally write on Doc Manager but that was the only way to do it because everyone would STARE at me whenever I pulled my Office Suite X up. So yeah, I apologize for not updating. I have also been preoccupied with my poll, pondering if I should add more selections or if I should take away less and yeah...I dunno. More flashbacks or less flashbacks? SuGgEsTiOnS?! I really want suggestions ^-^ so do you guys think the length of chapters are enough? Like I mostly go with around 4k words but sometimes it looks too short because of the long paragraphs :l Or maybe I'm just paranoid...XD I guess I should just get to the story, huh? VoTe FoR ThE PoLL PLeAsE! :3**

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"Fou!" Bak shouted, running downstairs and attracting a lot of attention from the others. He gave them an extremely bizarre look. Fou just waved her hand around, indicating that he should just ignore them. He didn't quite get the memo... "What are they still doing here?" He asked, pointing mostly at Lavi. Lavi pouted. He could've pointed at Kanda! Or Lenalee!

"Baka! Don't change the subject! Why did you come running down here, what's up with Allen? He didn't die did he?!" She gasped. Bak gave her an odd look. Why was she so protective of Allen anyways? He knew that they talked a lot over the Internet, but it wasn't as if they knew each other since they were kids or anything...

"Um, no, he didn't die...I just can't get his temperature to go down. You do know how to take care of a sick person right?" Bak asked uncertainly.

"Of course I do! I take care of you all the time!" She hit him over the head. The others sweat dropped.

Lavi remembered way back when he had to take care of Kanda when he was sick. Lenalee was sick too once, but her brother wouldn't let him come near her within a five mile radius. Kanda was really ticked off that Lavi tried to help him get better when he clearly told him that he didn't need help, but he did. And Lavi took care of them because they've known each other since like kindergarten. But would Fou be like Komui and not let him take care of Allen? Neah made his appearance and tip toed up the steps to check on his nephew. He didn't notice that he just came out of the bathroom and they bumped into each other...and that wasn't good because then they both tripped down the stairs...and that wasn't good because then Allen hit his head a few more times then he should've and looked a bit fazed by what just happened. Neah panicked and started running around the room like a madman. Allen felt dizzy and held his head.

"Ugh...what did I hit?" Allen asked, feeling all fuzzy. His British accent was even more clear now. Fou bit her lip and ran over to make sure he was okay.

"Do you have any bruises? Does it hurt anywhere? Are you okay? How do you feel?" Fou lifted up his shirt to make sure that he hadn't hit his stomach on something. Allen couldn't even keep up with her questions. Lenalee and Lavi were surprised at how well toned Allen was. Allen put his hand slowly on Fou's, pushing it down so it didn't feel cold.

"What?" He asked slowly.

"I don't see any bruises..." Fou said, observing his stomach. Then she just kept staring at it...and staring...and staring...

"Fou? What are you...stop, it's cold." Allen mumbled, pushing her hand down. Bak face palmed and the two interested ones in the conversation stared at them. Lenalee was pretty curious as to why Fou was staring at Allen like that, while Lavi was more staring at Allen's hand, that was pushing Fou's down. He wasn't wearing gloves...it really confused him though...why does Allen wear gloves? His question was answered whenever Allen put his other hand on hers to push it down more effectively. "I said quit..." He mumbled. Fou's eyes widened and looked over at Lavi, who was staring in shock at Allen's hand. She panicked and removed her hand.

"Are you okay, Allen?" Fou asked slowly.

"'M hungry." Allen replied. Lavi sweat dropped and Lenalee giggled.

"Baka?! I thought you gave him soup!" Fou shouted angrily at Bak. Allen put his hand on Fou's mouth and shook his head. She looked at him, very puzzled.

"Don't yell. Too loud." He explained in four words. "Head hurts." Okay, six words. Fou removed Allen's hand and glared over at Bak.

"I _did _give him soup! He ate it all!" Bak exclaimed. Neah had long since retreated behind the couch. "It was a big bowl too!"

"Oh yeah...I kinda forgot his stomach was like a bottomless pit or something." Fou said, mostly to herself. Allen was just sitting there holding his head. He really just wanted to eat right now.

"Fou...'m hungry..." Allen whined, patting her leg. Fou giggled and patted Allen's head.

"Okay, Allen. Hold on a minute. Baka, go heat up more of that soup!" Fou demanded. Bak scrambled into the kitchen. She leaned in to whisper to Allen. "Allen...Neah's still here...do you want to talk to him?" Fou waited for an answer. Allen frowned.

"But what if he doesn't want to?"

Allen wouldn't look her in the eyes. From the actions Neah displayed today, she knew that Allen's assumption of Neah hating him was wrong. It didn't look like Neah blamed him at all. He just looked a bit afraid to try and confront Allen, like Allen would be angry at him or something. Fou looked past Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda to Neah. Neah slowly started ducking his head from view. Fou motioned him to come over. Neah looked around frantically, hoping that she was talking about someone else besides him.

Allen was just started to get agitated. He was really hungry and no one was doing anything about it! Can't someone do something for a sick person these days? And what were Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda doing here?! Was that Mugen? Timcanpy came strutting down the stairs and jumped on Allen's lap. Allen looked down at Timcanpy and started petting him. Mugen hopped out of Kanda's hands and jumped on Allen's lap as well. Allen stopped petting Timcanpy and looked at Mugen, who was staring at him expectantly. Lavi's jaw dropped and Lenalee started giggling again. Kanda just looked extremely pissed off. Mugen pawed Allen's hand and Allen started petting her too-and then he pet Timcanpy with his other hand.

He heard Lenalee gasp but didn't say anything. Fou shot a glare at her and looked back at Allen worriedly. Allen simply kept petting them. Who cares if they saw his arm anyways? They wouldn't bother him anymore if they felt disgusted with it and that would be a good thing...right? Truthfully though, Allen had had a lot of fun with them for awhile...he really didn't want them to leave, but if they made such a big deal over one birth defect than they obviously didn't care about him much. He just had to suck it up and accept it.

Neah crawled around the couch and crawled over to Allen. Allen didn't notice for awhile since the cats had his attention. Fou smiled and stood up. Her smile was strained when she started walking over to the trio. She looked like she was out for blood. Lenalee quivered with fear. Lavi looked around nervously and Kanda didn't look at her at all.

"Say one insult about his arm and you're dead." Fou threatened, walking to the kitchen to check up on Allen's long awaited soup.

Neah hesitated while Allen was in dreamland with Kirby and friends as he petted the cats. Neah had to get his attention...but...it was...hard...Neah cleared his throat loudly and Allen jumped. He looked up and his eyes widened. Lavi and the others decided to leave the room for their peace. Neah stared at Allen's expression. He looked...scared? Afraid? Why would he be afraid of him? Why did he look so sad? Was he afraid that Neah was mad at him? Neah couldn't help it any longer when flashbacks of Allen and him came up in his mind and hugged Allen tightly. Allen's head was fuzzy and warm. He almost didn't comprehend what was going on and hugged Neah back. And boy did he _need _that hug. His entire week had been so stressful so far and the hug was really needed. He actually found himself with tears raining down his face. Neah rubbed his back soothingly.

"I'm so sorry, Allen...I didn't mean to run away...I was just...afraid..." Allen just hugged Neah tighter, saying that he understood and he didn't blame him. The little kid Neah missed so much was right in front of his eyes and all he could do was hug him. Allen looked extremely different too. His eyes weren't as bright as they used to be either. He wanted that light to come back to the shining gray eyes. He wanted Allen to be happy...Allen might have been able to be more happy if he was just there for him. Neah felt so guilty for leaving Allen alone in the first place. If he couldn't handle Mana's death, then what made him think that Allen could? "I'm so sorry..." Neah whispered, hugging him tighter.

"Food's done!" Fou shouted from the kitchen, basically saying 'okay wipe your tears unless you want me to walk in on something embarrassing and torment you for the rest of your life for it'. Allen was surprised that Neah was crying but they both rubbed at their eyes, smiling at each other. Neah could visibly see the light in Allen's eyes start shining again...but that could just be because Fou was giving him a big bowl of chicken noodle soup. Fou gave a bowl to him. "Be careful, Allen, its hot." Allen started blowing on it like a little kid would do. He took a bit and swished it around in his mouth, satisfied with the flavor. "It's not as hot as you though!" The soup was barely able to go down his throat since he started choking from Fou's comment. Neah sent Fou a bizarre look. If he remembered correctly, Cross clearly stated that the teen was gay...

_"Oh yeah, and before I forget, the brat's gay." Cross said suddenly as he was driving over to Allen's house with Neah in the passenger seat. That comment threw Neah's thoughts off completely. Was Cross pulling his leg?_

_"Huh?"_

_"I said Allen is gay. You know, homo, homosexual, gay, fag-"_

_"O-okay! You don't have to say that much!" Neah felt bad that Cross was insulting Allen behind his back. He was quite surprised that Allen was gay though, but he didn't judge him for it. In fact, he had a feeling that this probably had to do with Cross..._

That had been a real shock for him but he didn't care. Allen was Allen and he would always be Allen no matter what happened. Yeah, that sounded kind of stupid, but it was true. No matter what happened, Allen would always be Mana's son...he would always be his lovable nephew. His attitude actually started to remind him of Mana. He spoke with more kindness than when he used to-not that Allen was rude when he was little, but he just seemed more soft than he used to. He really grew up...the right way at that...maybe it wasn't so bad that he grew up with Cross...maybe.

"Fou, please." Allen gave her a scolding look. Fou shrugged, grinning.

"What? You're just so ho-uh-cute." Fou said, glancing over at Neah occasionally. She smiled and ruffled Allen's hair. _That would explain why she was staring at him for a long time..._Lenalee though, sweat dropping. Her and Lavi had come back into the living room but Kanda stayed in the kitchen. Bak felt uncomfortable around Kanda so he came into the living room too. Allen stared at everyone in his house.

"My house is full." He mumbled. Fou looked around to see everyone in Allen's living room. She felt Allen start to get real nervous when Lavi was looking over. He blushed, even though it was covered up by his flush. He already finished off his soup and his head still hurt. He tugged on Fou's sleeve. She looked at him. "Head hurts." He whined with a pout on his face.

"Baka! Go get him some Tylenol or Advil or...what do you take?" Fou questioned Allen.

"Ibuprofen..." Allen murmured. Bak nodded and ran into the kitchen. Allen wondered how he could just follow Fou's orders with her calling him stupid all the time like it was his actual name. She looked at the others and started ordering them around like she was their mother or something.

"Lenalee, get a cool rag and a hot rag. Neah, help me get Allen back upstairs in his bed and Lavi..." She pondered for a second and stared at him. "Sit there and look sexy." She said. Lavi grinned and walked over. Neah had gotten Allen on his back and trudged up the stairs. After laying him down in bed, Neah checked the time. It was about time that he had to pick Road up from school. Neah felt his phone vibrate and opened it up to see a smiley face from Road that was sent just now...which was three...which means that school let out ten minutes ago. _Why didn't she call me? _Neah wondered.

"Neah darling~!" A loud shout was heard escalating up the stairs. Lavi, Allen, Fou, and Neah all looked at the door. A short girl with spiky blue hair came bursting through, causing Allen's headache to increase, and glomped Neah around his abdomen. The impact was so much it knocked him over. "Found you~!"

"H-how were you able to find me, Road?" Neah asked. They all just stared at her with blank expressions. Except for Allen, who was hiding under the covers. Fou didn't blame him. She would be hiding too if she were him. Neah chuckled when he saw Allen hiding.

"I'll always be able to find you!" Road said lovingly and hugged Neah tightly. She stopped for a moment and looked around the room. "Wait, where are we?" She asked. Fou would've thought that since she was Allen's stalker that she would know where he lives. It's a good thing she didn't though.

"Oh, we're in my nephew's house..." Neah answered. Allen was sending hateful curses Neah's way. He just _had _to give that part away, didn't he? Her eyes lit up like diamonds in the sunlight.

"Allen-chan is here?! Where is he, where is he?!" Road landed her eyes on the bed and squealed. Fou quickly jumped in front of her seeing as she was about to jump on the bed. Fou didn't want to piss her off though so she acted as calmly as she could around the crazy girl.

"Allen's sick." She said slowly. "He needs his rest, you don't want to wake him up now do you?" Fou said. Road nodded her head and clung onto Neah's side.

Neah had to leave along with Road so that he wouldn't end up disturbing Allen. He told Fou to tell Allen that he had to go while Allen was hiding under the covers. Allen peeled back the covers for air. He could barely breathe in there. His entire face was flushed and he still didn't feel good. Bak had finally decided to get him his pain reliever and Allen didn't even accept the water. He just downed the pill right there. He moaned in pain and rolled over on his stomach. Fou shot him a worried look and was at his side in seconds.

"What's wrong, Allen?" She asked.

"Hurts..." Allen whined.

Fou took Allen's left arm and brought it up, not caring if Lavi and Lenalee, who just arrived a few minutes ago, were looking or not. She wondered why Cross had injected it into Allen's left arm instead of his right. She remembered receiving a text from Cross (_How did he get my number? _Fou wondered) after he left to call him if he gets any pain. His veins in his left arm had turned a bright green color it was almost unbelievable. Allen winced and tried taking his arm away from Fou. Lavi's eyes widened and he stared at Allen's arm. _What the hell is happening to him? _Lavi wondered. It didn't look like anything he's ever seen before and he read _a lot _of books. Fou pulled out her phone and called Cross.

"Lavi, watch over him real quick." Fou walked out of the room and Allen panicked.

He may have thought that he needed to suck it up, but he didn't want to see a look of disgust on Lavi's face. Lavi told Lenalee to go downstairs for awhile. He could see that Allen felt uncomfortable with everyone in the room. He gave Bak a look and Bak nodded in understanding and walked out of the room. Lavi turned to Allen and entwined his fingers together. Allen blushed even deeper. What was he doing. He lifted the hand up to his lips and kissed Allen's knuckles. Allen's eyes slowly closed and he relaxed. Lavi...accepted him...Lavi rubbed circles on Allen's arm in a soothing manner. Allen smiled softly and squeezed Lavi's hand.

Lavi's heart stopped there for a minute. He stared down at Allen, who was smiling. It was a very small smile, but it was something. Allen only ever smiled at him when he was injured by Alma and that girl. Lavi's hand tingled with warmth and he just felt like hugging Allen right now. He really didn't understand what was going on in his body but he knew that he felt warm. It was like it was moving on it's own when his hand started to pet Allen's hair and trail down to his cheek. Allen just looked so peaceful and happy laying there. He remembered when he first saw the white haired boy. He was cute, but he was a freshman and Lavi really didn't know if he should confront him or not...

_Lavi was just talking with his friends, Lenalee and Kanda, when he first saw Allen Walker. Lenalee was rambling on about how her brother was way too protective of her and Kanda just che'd in response a couple times. The three students were walking down the hall casually. Lavi really wasn't listening to Lenalee-or at least he didn't look like it-he was really just hoping that the next bell would ring since his next class was advanced history and he loved history! He didn't need to take it again, but he did anyways, and he was the student aide for a History class. He stopped walking when he saw a white ball of fluff. Today had been the first time he came to school with the freshman there. The first day the freshman came, the Seniors didn't have to come. They did the next day though. _

_Anyways..._

_Lavi stopped walking and Lenalee didn't say anything of it but kept rambling on. He must've complied to her conversation or something. That wasn't the real reason he stopped though. He saw Road, one of the more creepier girls of the school, standing next to a boy with white hair that he'd never seen before. He was sure that he would notice him around town with bright hair like that but he couldn't remember any time he could've happened to see him. The boy looked a bit tired and didn't even look like he was paying attention to Road. He was actually just looking around, observing the students faces. By chance, his eyes strayed over to Lavi and their eyes met for a whole minute. Lavi's heartbeat quickened and he grinned charmingly at him. Allen looked away and blushed. One word just kept zooming around in Lavi's head:_

_Cute. _

Lavi laid his head on Allen's chest and heard the steady beat of the younger's heartbeat. The steady rhythm comforted him. His heartbeat was a bit quicker than it should be and reminded Lavi of how fast his heart was speeding whenever he saw the look of pure horror and embarrassment whenever the pot of beansprouts landed on Allen. He just looked so defeated. Then everyone just started _laughing. _It kind of pained Lavi, but he knew his fellow students wouldn't do something so terrible as pick on him...right?

He wanted to be by Allen's side and take care of him. It hadn't even been a week and Lavi felt attached to the boy. He didn't know why he always bugged Allen so much on a daily basis. It just seemed so...natural. He never bugged anyone like that before. But he really did want to make it up to Allen. He didn't know why, but he did. He just wanted Allen to accept him as a friend and a person, not some douche bag who purposefully tried to pick on him to make himself look cool. He wanted Allen to see the good in him and how much he really cared even if he didn't show it...

Fou was about to walk in the room but stopped when she saw what was going on-through the crack that is. Lavi's head was on Allen's chest and _Oh my god...they're holding hands! This is just so...so...is Allen willingly letting Lavi do this?! _Fou took out her phone that she had just stopped talking in awhile ago and snapped a picture. She saw Lavi's eyes slowly close and closed the door as softly as she could, smiling. The light was already off and they stayed like that. Fou put up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign that she made out of paper and red sharpie.

On the phone, Cross said that it was natural that his arm did that and it might hurt a little, but he would be okay. Fou felt relieved and excited. She couldn't wait for what would happen next with Allen and Lavi. She thought Lavi was good for Allen. Allen really needed someone to keep his mind out of trouble and hurt. He needed comfort and only Lavi could give it to him. It was silly and corny she knew but...

Lavi was Allen's first love.

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**DoN't FoRgEt AbOuT ThE PoLL! :3 Thank you to Snipperita, Shirubagure, ellarockabella, , ankehesenamun2, alchemyfreak71, PervertAnimeOtaku, dgraymaniac, CsillaDream, MintGreenn, Lavi Bookman 2, and the two Guests that reviewed! I'm STILL TAKING SUGGESTIONS! C:**


	12. Chapter 12

**If any of you are wondering, Allen's arm is black in this fanfiction...this chapter seemed a bit short...but I think that was just because of all the paragraphs and less dialogue...please don't forget to vote for the poll! It's going to be my next story after this and I have about 18 choices up. If you think there should be more choices I will gladly put more in because I actually still have a lot of other stories in my head xD I fail...**

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As he slept, Allen remembered the time when he first saw Lavi...

_All Allen wanted to do was get away from Road. Ever since he met her—in the eighth grade—she had been following him around nonstop. He thought that she was nice and outgoing, but some days there was just too much of her. He was on his way to his locker when Road started asking him personal questions like where he lived and what he did after school. For the sake that Allen didn't want her stalking him, he ignored her questions and expertly swiveled her off track with one of his own questions. She then began talking rapidly about one of her uncles. Allen remembered asking her about a loved family member of hers and she was so into it right when he asked...for some reason..._

_Allen sighed and took out his bag that he carried around school and stuffed it with paper and pencils and binders. It was only his second day, so they hadn't been assigned any books yet. He only had about ten minutes until the bell rang. Hopefully he could stand Road's rants until then. He looked around the area, watching the students. He hadn't made a single friend yet, other than Road, and was looking for a person who could possibly look nice enough to have a conversation with that wouldn't ask about his hair or his scar. He looked around, only slightly memorizing the faces he saw. His attention was immediately caught when his bright gray eyes had made contact with one green one. _

_It was him and the other teen staring at each other. Allen could see so many things in just that one eye—like he didn't even need the other for someone to know who he really was; but at the same time, he masked nearly all his emotions he actually felt inside. Allen could see right through them of course. His eyes...were similar to Allen's but they weren't as hard as his could be if he didn't try to see the good in life. In that one green eye, he saw slight sadness but it was overpowered by the joy and luckiness of the teen. He was trying his best in life to look at the upsides instead of the downsides and Allen automatically respected him for that. _

_The teenager grinned widely at him and Allen looked away, blushing. His heart was beating rapidly and Lavi looked like he was shining...and now he felt like an excited little schoolgirl...great. He was a man, and yet he had these kinds of feelings...he should definitely tell Fou about this when he got home! The bell rung, causing him to jump. He looked up one more time and saw that Lavi was still looking at him. Allen's blush deepened and he scurried to his next class. His heart just wouldn't stop hammering against his chest. He only heard a little bit of the questions Road would ask him—they were mostly about what was wrong. _

_What was wrong? Well, he had developed a crush on the most popular kid in school, Lavi Bookman, with only one look in his eyes...how was this even possible? _

_It had been maybe a week or two when that happened. The one prank that changed his entire life. Allen did like Lavi, a lot, but he wouldn't go near the teen—though he swore the boy was coming towards him a few times before. He was just two embarrassed and was afraid of what he would end up saying if he talked to Lavi. He'd definitely spout something stupid. Allen had been admiring Lavi from afar and told Fou everything about him. He felt a bit bad for blabbering to her about it but she didn't seem to mind. He did notice that Lavi loved to tick people off for the fun of it sometimes and something else...he really liked to play pranks on people...if only Allen had been more cautious sooner..._

_He was late for lunch—which was the most horrible case in the world—when that day happened...the day his whole view on the school and Lavi changed. He was running towards the cafeteria as his stomach literally felt like it was digesting itself. Note to self: Never skip out on lunch. Allen was almost through the cafeteria when he ran into Bookman. He didn't know what Bookman was really doing at the school at the moment...he barely knew the man at all actually, but he apologized sincerely._

"_I-I'm s-so-sorry, Mr. Bookman! I w-wasn't looking wh-where I was going!" Allen said, blushing from embarrassment. Bookman waved a hand, saying that there was no need to apologize. Bookman gestured to the door for Allen to go inside first. Allen blushed and walked in. _

_It was right then that the most burning, steaming, most painful pot ever spilled something all over him. He looked down at what happened. He was drenched in steaming bean sprouts and winced from the small first degree burns that were probably burning his skin alive. Bookman hurried in angrily once everyone began laughing. Allen blushed and looked down. He felt like crying...they were all laughing at him. Allen glanced up and saw Lavi getting hit in the head by Bookman. Bookman growled and dragged Lavi over to where Allen was standing, drenched. Lavi stared at Allen with regret. Allen looked so...sorrowful. _

"_I apologize deeply for my grandson's actions. He's an idiot." Bookman said sternly, looking at Lavi with a glare. Everyone was still laughing and started pointing at him. As if they had just realized his hair color, they began choosing any way to pick on him, even going so far as to insult his hair. Lavi stared at the boy who was filled with dread apologetically. Allen didn't see it, he was too busy staring at the floor. "Apologize!" Bookman barked. Lavi opened his mouth but Allen backed away from him and ran off before he could say anything. _

_Allen had never been so embarrassed in his entire life before. He knew it was childish, but he cried. Allen had always been overly emotional ever since his father died. Just thinking about his father made him cry even more. Lavi had searched all around for the boy, trying to apologize. He really didn't mean for that pot to land on him. The boy must feel humiliated...he was just looking in the bathroom whenever he saw Allen running out. His heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach when he watched him leave the school entirely. _

_He had been crying..._

* * *

As he slept, Lavi remembered the time when he got his best friends, Lenalee and Kanda, to attempt to get Allen with him so that he could apologize. Of course, Lenalee didn't know why Lavi needed to apologize to Allen, but she kinda just went along with it.

_The first try was, of course, a failure. _

_Allen was in band, Lenalee was in band, Kanda was in band, Lavi was in Band, and even Daisya was in band...this was brilliant! Or at least, that's what Lavi thought. He told Lenalee to try and talk to the boy...it didn't work out so well. The bell rang and Allen threw his bag over his shoulder and left the room with a depressed look in his eyes...that's how he had always looked ever since what happened. Lenalee stopped in front of him and Allen winced. _

"_Good afternoon, Allen!" She said happily._

"_Excuse me, I have to go..." He muttered softly. His voice cracked slightly. Lenalee frowned._

_"Are you alright?" She asked and placed a hand on Allen's shoulder. Allen instantly froze up and she retreated her hand quickly, afraid that he would freak out. _

"_Sorry..." Allen whispered and walked around her. He was then stopped by Kanda in the front doors of the band hallway. Kanda grabbed the front of his shirt and forced Allen to look up at him. He ignored the scared look in the boy's eyes, only because everyone acted that way when Kanda grabbed him._

"_Look here, bean sprout-" Kanda instantly shut up when he saw tears gather in the boy's eyes...okay maybe he shouldn't have called him that...Allen looked to the floor, away from Kanda. Kanda noticed a bruise on the boy's cheek and let him go. Allen took that as his chance to escape and bolted out of the room. _

"_This is going to be a lot harder than we thought." Lenalee said, sending somewhat of a glare to Kanda as they all sat down on the grass after school. It was quite ways away from the school and they always sat in the open field to chat. _

"_No! I won't give up!" Lavi declared childishly. This only got Lenalee worked up and she was so curious about this Allen guy. Just what did Lavi think was so special about him that he needed to talk to him? If only she could have a real conversation with him... "Okay! Here's the next plan..." Lavi motioned them to all forward so he could tell them what to do._

_His second try was a failure as well. _

_When Allen arrived to school the next morning, he was accompanied by Lenalee. She seemed way too cheerful to be around him. He didn't say anything to her but was only slightly glad since the bullies wouldn't go near him with her around. She didn't really even say anything but she still kept following him around as if that was the only thing to do around the school. At least she didn't try and talk to him though, Allen was grateful for that. _

"_Good morning, Allen!" She chirped. He spoke too soon..._

"_Morning..." Allen murmured quietly. She frowned at him. She needed to lead him over to the cafeteria but the boy seemed to avoid that place for some reason. _

"_So, do you want to get any breakfast?" Lenalee asked him, not noticing the flinch Allen gave her. _

_Ever since that incident, Allen had been packing his lunch so he didn't have to go towards the cafeteria ever. His teachers were very nice to him for some odd reason and they would let him eat his lunch in their classrooms. Mostly though, a teacher named 'Earl' would let him eat his lunch with him. Allen didn't know who this 'Earl' teacher was, but they were to call him Mr. (Adam) Millennium. Allen didn't even know the subject the man taught, but he didn't pry, and neither did Adam. Adam would simply let Allen eat in peace._

"_No thank you..." Allen refused quietly. Lenalee frowned. She needed to get Allen in the cafeteria. That was the only way Lavi could make up for what he did. It didn't turn out very well. Road, one of Lenalee and Allen's close friends, grabbed Lenalee's attention by calling her name._

"_Yo, Lena-chan! You should totally c'mere! I've got something important to tell you!" Road shouted across from the hall, earning a few good glares of disapproval from the teachers. She didn't care though. Lenalee waved and nodded before looking down at Allen...except Allen wasn't there...Lenalee looked around frantically for the boy but he had completely disappeared! _

"_Oops..." Lenalee muttered, pulling out her phone to tell Lavi of her mistake. _

"_Okay guys, this is our last chance! If this fails...then, put simply, we're fucked." Lavi said bluntly. All of his Senior year, he had been trying to get even a word out to the boy but it was like the kid had a 'Lavi Barrier' up around him and Lavi couldn't even get within five feet of the boy. _

_Of course though, they fucked up. Real bad. _

_Lavi was going to confront him in his own way. It would be extremely dangerous, but it was a risk he had to take. It was quite blunt and a bad idea. Put simply, he would charge at Allen and then get him to sit still so that he could finally apologize. Lavi saw the white haired fluff of hair moving amongst the crowd slowly. Lavi got in his lunging position and Kanda was ready from a hall around the corner just in case 'something went wrong' and Lenalee was around another corner just in case 'Lavi and Kanda did something stupid'. Lavi counted down slowly in his head**...five...four...three...two...one!** **NOW!** As fast as he could, he ran at the boy, shoving a few freshman out of the way and successfully tackled Allen...into a wall. _

"_Aha! Gotcha!" Lavi said excitedly._

_Lavi hadn't at all prepared for what happened next. Allen pulled his arm around and punched him straight in the jaw. Lavi was sent crashing down on the floor on his butt. If only he knew that Cross had just started teaching him martial arts the night before...this wouldn't have happened. But, of course, he didn't know that. Kanda took this as a 'something went wrong' case and ran at Allen, full speed. Allen looked down at Lavi, so surprised that he couldn't believe what just happened. Fear coursed through him along with guilt._

"_Ah! Oh m-my God! I'm s-so sorry! I..a-are you okay?!" Allen stuttered immensely, holding out his right hand to help Lavi up. _

_Lavi grinned and was about to grab his hand when the most worst case scenario happened. Kanda knocked him hard upside the head, sending him collapsing to the floor. Lenalee took this as a 'Kanda did something stupid' case and ran over with the most angered look in her eyes. She took a clipboard her brother gave to her and crack it in half over Kanda's head. Kanda felt dizzy but didn't pass out. Lavi looked at the unconscious boy in horror. It all could've worked...but Kanda ruined it. _

"_ARE YOU STUPID?!" Lavi insulted Kanda for real for the first time in his life. _

_"Wha? But he...he hit you..." Kanda was at loss for words. _

"_He was just about to help me up! Did you not see him reaching his hand out?! Oh my God...this is just great...no more chances...we fucked up big time."_

"_You two fucked up big time." Lenalee corrected as she carried Allen away to the small hospital wing in the school area. Lavi, Kanda, and Lenalee waited outside the door until the nurse walked out thirty minutes later, shaking her head. "Is he okay?!" Lavi asked worriedly. The nurse sighed and twirled a finger around a few strands of her hair bundled together._

"_He'll be fine..." She said slowly. Lavi sighed with relief. "But he doesn't remember anything past last night." _

_Dread filled Lavi like no other. _

_He failed._

* * *

When Allen woke up, he felt very...tingly. His whole body felt like it was boiling with warmth. He felt a warmth of red cascading around him; and when he meant red, he meant red in his face. The strands of Lavi's hair tickled Allen's nose. He felt a weight on his chest and a warmth enveloping his left hand. He looked downwards and his body's warmth multiplied several times that his face burned red. Lavi was..._laying _on him...he was...holding his hand...his _left _hand. Allen felt tears prickle at his eyes and slightly squeezed Lavi's hand...Lavi wasn't disgusted...

"_C'mon little boy, what's wrong? I won't hurt you. What's wrong with your arm?" Mana leaned forward to touch it. Allen backed into the light post—which was conveniently in the middle of the sidewalk—and glared at him. _

_"Go away!" Allen shouted, tears gathering in his eyes._

"_I just want to help you!" Mana pleaded. In one fell swoop, Mana grabbed the boy's sleeve and lifted it up. Allen awaited the disgusted look on the man's face and looked away like he was ashamed. He didn't want to see a look of dread etched onto such a kind man's face. "I don't see what the big deal is." Allen's eyes widened and he looked up at Mana hopefully. Mana just smiled down at the little boy and held out his hand to him. "It's just an arm after all." _

Allen wiped his tears away with his right arm and tried to focus on something other than Lavi's warm body against his. Allen's eyes dazed out and the only thing he could focus on without focusing on Lavi was the pain he was feeling. His head was pounding, his arm was aching and his stomach was in a turmoil. He could feel his fever finally getting to him. His head felt like cotton and his body was sweating so much he wanted to wriggle out of the covers...but he couldn't do that because La...because he needed warmth to get better...

Lavi finally woke up and panicked when he saw Allen's eyes open. What would Allen think about what he was doing?! That was when he realized the look on Allen's face. He looked...expressionless. He didn't even budge when Lavi used his other hand to feel his forehead. Lavi brought his hand back—the kid was on fire! He needed a cold rag or something! But...Allen would probably react if he let go of his hand and Lavi didn't have Fou's number. He unfolded his hand slowly to avoid trouble. He only gotten a centimeter far when Allen squeezed his hand as if he _needed _it.

He sighed, what was he going to do now? If he called for Fou, surely Allen would wake up from the yelling. But, as if Fou was some type of Gypsy, she appeared in the room and smiled at Lavi. Lavi gave her an odd look. The last time he remembered, she was telling him to back the fuck off and now she was smiling at him? What the hell? He watched as she placed a bowl of well prepared soup next to Allen. It was probably around seven in the evening now and Allen's dinner time.

"I was just hoping you'd come here!" Lavi exclaimed, relieved. He felt Allen squeeze his hand again and froze. "Right...I kinda need your help...I was going to get Allen a rag because he's burning up but..." Lavi blushed for what seemed like the first time in his life. "He won't...let go of my hand." Fou smirked at Lavi's blush and snapped a picture of course and stuffed her phone in her pocket.

"Sleep well?" She asked. He just blushed deeper and looked away from her.

"Just...help Allen, will ya?" He asked hoarsely. Fou looked down and nearly flipped out. She bolted out of the room and came back with a soaked cold rag and put it over Allen's forehead.

"We need to keep his temperature down." Fou said as she uncovered Allen's body. Allen didn't even stir. He seemed too wrapped up in whatever he was thinking about. That got Lavi curious about what the boy could possibly be thinking about so much that he didn't even notice that Lavi had woken up. She started removing Allen's pants. Lavi gave her an odd look when she looked a bit _too _eager. "What? He can't wear pants in bed. It'll raise his body temperature up more than it already needs to be." She said and also removed the shirt he was wearing before covering him up with a more thin blanket. "There, that should be enough."

A few minutes later, Lavi was able to detach his hands from Allen's and accepted the bowl of soup from Fou to put on the bedside table so that Allen could eat it. Lavi grinned down at him and couldn't tell the difference between his blush because of the flush on his face...but he was definitely blushing. Did Lavi really hold his hand this whole time? _I've really got to stop this...or else...something bad is really going to happen. I need to prevent it no matter what happens...or else..._

_I'm really going to fall in love with him..._

* * *

**So...much..._italics..._xD VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! And I'm being legit guys. For the poll, you can vote for 6 different stories and there are 18 choices! So far, the one that's winning the most for the poll is the Poker Pair one...and I didn't mean role model, I just meant model...I'll probably change that now xD Anyways, thanks to Snipperita, Shirubagure, ankhesenamun2, ellarockabella, Jazebeth, myangelicladyofdarkness, MintGreenn, and CsillaDream for reviewing! Suggestions are still welcome! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning: There is a Lime in here...um...I've never really written a lime...only read them...I hope it's not too sour to be mistaken as a lemon...-blushes- I kinda can't believe I could write this. Um...-cough- lol writing the scene was awkward because two nine year olds and my big sister were in the room.**

**Anyways, don't forget to Vote for the poll! I sound like a broken record...heehee! For the poll so far the Laven Mental Ward is winning o.o Poker Pair has been bumped down to second place xD Enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

For the next three weeks, Fou wouldn't let anyone in the house to see Allen—not even Neah. She kept saying that he needed rest, even when he had already felt better after a week. He appreciated her concern—he really did—but this was a bit too extreme. He needed to go out so he could get money and go shopping. He didn't have a job and he was starting to run out of his little bit of savings that Cross gave him for paying off all those debts. The debts were ten times the amount, but Allen was still thankful.

Back on topic though, he _needed _to go out. Finally, on Monday morning, three weeks later—yeah, that long—Allen was able to go out and find himself a job. He felt bad for Fou having to stay here more than he should've but she dismissed his ranting about her getting her own house so she wouldn't be stuck with him. When he finally got dressed and grabbed his car keys off the counter, he felt really stiff, which was probably because he had been laying in bed for three weeks. Anyone would feel stiff after that, but he was used to walking around all the time and doing work.

Right when he walked out the door, he was tackled down by Lavi to the ground. He probably would've blushed if he wasn't so surprised.

"L-Lavi?" Allen stuttered.

"Alleeeeeeen~! I didn't get to see you for this whole month!" Lavi whined. Allen pushed Lavi away.

"Uh yeah."

"So?" Lavi stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to talk. Allen raised an eyebrow. Just was did Lavi want him to say?

"What?" Allen asked back. Lavi huffed at him.

"The grudge, Allen, the grudge! I wanna be friends already!" Lavi said, pouting. Allen stared at him

Truthfully, Allen could forgive people so easily it was ridiculous and just the day after Allen met Lavi again, he had already forgave him, but he just needed a reason to avoid Lavi. He doesn't want his heart to suffer anymore pain than it already had through his high school years. Love was painful and he didn't want to go through the whole process of falling in love.

"Lavi...I really don't get you." Lavi's grin faded away when he heard the serious tone in Allen's voice. "Tell me this, Lavi, why do you want to be my friend so much?" _He's so different then when he was in high school...just what happened to him? _Lavi thought worriedly.

"Why don't you want to be my friend?" Lavi retorted.

"It's not that I don't want to-uh, I mean..." Allen blushed at his slip up. _I wasn't supposed to tell him that! _

"So you _do _want to be my friend?" Lavi asked uncertainly.

"No! I mean, well it's...I guess...ugh, you're so frustrating!" Allen accused while grabbing at his hair. Lavi just grinned at him.

"So what's the reason you can't be my friend then?"

"It's not that I can't, I just..." _don't want to fall in love again! _Allen finished the sentence in his head. Allen needed to get him off the subject. That should be easy...it was Lavi after all. "I don't have time for that right now." Allen said and stood up. "I need to get a job...and perhaps some money as well." Allen muttered the last part but since Lavi was below him, he still heard what Allen said.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Lavi asked somewhat suspiciously as he stood up. That look on Allen's face said that he was clearly up to no good. Most evil smiles said that anyways...and Allen's evil smile was quite unnerving.

"I have my ways." Allen replied. "I've got to go now."

"Let me come with you!" Lavi whined, fallowing him to his car.

"Why?" Allen asked curiously but suspiciously.

"Because today is my birthday and you took Yu-chan out for his birthday!" Lavi whined. "Plus, I know a place you would like that is hiring!" Lavi informed. Allen was a bit unsure but nodded. He _did _take Kanda out for his birthday.

"I guess you could."

"Yay!" Lavi cheered childishly. Allen already regretted to agreeing. "Oh, but I'm not having my party until Saturday, that way some kids from our old school can come too. I'm still connected with them. We're all buds down there."

"Shopping comes last. We'll probably end up coming back late, just to warn you. Still wanna come?" Allen asked, completely ignoring Lavi's last comments. Lavi ignored the fact that Allen ignored him and nodded quickly before Allen could change his mind. "Right then." Allen unlocked his car. Lavi hurried into the front seat excitedly. Allen started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "Okay, so where to?" Allen asked as he pulled up to the red light flashing..well, red.

"It's called HQ-don't ask why, I don't know-and it's just down the next road." Lavi said, using his hands for gestures. Allen followed Lavi's directions and pulled into HQ.

It had a huge rainbow sign that was _really _bright, neon and well...noticeable. How could he have missed this restaurant when he first moved here. Neon signs were hanging up _everywhere _and identified that they allowed anything..._literally. _The signs said: Smoking, drinking, minors, it was open, any sexual orientations allowed and a lot of other things normal restaurants didn't allow. They even allowed PDA. Personally, Allen thought they should've just named the restaurant AG for Anything Goes. Allen barely had time to lock his car when Lavi grabbed his hand and started dragging him in there.

"Anitaaaaaa!" Lavi called loudly a name that sounded slightly familiar to Allen. No one looked at them as Lavi dragged Allen into the restaraunt, shouting for the woman in charge. Was this normal?

"In my office!" A familiar voice shouted back from a different room. Lavi casually burst through her door and shoved Allen towards her. Both Anita and Allen gaped like a fish at each other. Lavi looked between them curiously. "What a surprise. I didn't know you were friends with Lavi." Anita said. Allen closed his mouth.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! How do you know each other?" Lavi asked, _desperate _for answers.

"Cross." They both answered at once.

"Oh. Awesome! Okay then I don't need to introduce you two! Anita, Allen needs a job; and he's like, the most best cook ever! His food tastes like it was cooked by a god!" Lavi exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. Anita raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah? That's talent right there...except, Lavi, Gods don't cook." Anita informed.

"Oh whatever! You know what I mean!" Lavi said.

"So on a scale of one to ten, how good do you think he's great with food, Lavi?" Anita asked.

"Like...twenty! Or wait...even more than that!" Lavi claimed. Allen blushed and looked away.

"I'm not _that _good Lavi, quit exaggerating." Allen mumbled. Anita laughed heartily.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that. Follow me shorty." Anita said, ruffling Allen's hair. Both Lavi and Allen followed her around the restaurant. She led them into a kitchen and Allen's eyes widened and he gaped like a fish for the second time that day. The kitchen was _huge. _T

"Whoa..." Allen muttered, walking around the kitchen with a sparkling look in his eye. Lavi grinned as he watched Allen look around the kitchen in wonder. He looked so delighted to simply be in the kitchen itself.

"Go ahead, cook something up for me." Anita commanded, her tone suddenly becoming demanding. Allen turned to face her, not at all flinching from her tone. He was used to it whenever she would come over and find Cross with another woman and back lash said guardian.

"What am I supposed to cook?" Allen asked. Lavi himself was thinking about something. Anita shrugged.

"Hmm...how about spaghetti?" Anita suggested. She saw Lavi starting to drool in the corner of her eye and wondered if Lavi had actually tasted the boy's spaghetti before. She never got to try Allen's food while she was over at their house so this would be something entirely new to her.

"Okay."

Allen nodded and instantly got to work. He asked for an apron first though because of how messy he was when he cooked. He expertly found everything he needed, even though it was his first time being in the HQ's kitchen. Anita watched, slightly amazed as it didn't take him twenty minutes to start pouring the sauce on top of the spaghetti. She did happen to laugh from time to time since Allen obliviously got sauce on his face and apron. She didn't know how he managed to do it, but he got the spaghetti finished slightly below twenty minutes. _Where did that kid learn how to cook? I know Cross told me that he'd been practicing when he was younger but this is just amazing! _Anita thought. Allen blushed at her bewildered look and held the plate out to her. Anita took the plate and fork and swirled the spaghetti around her fork. She lifted it into her mouth and chewed. It was the best damn spaghetti she had ever tasted.

"You're hired." Anita said, smiling. Allen's jaw dropped.

"Wh-what? Just like that? B-but I haven't even filled out an application or submitted a resume or anything!" Allen stuttered a little as he spoke to her. How could she just hire him so suddenly when she knew nothing about him? It was crazy!

"Hey, with talent like this, you may even end up becoming Head Chef." Anita said, smiling. She placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him. Allen simply couldn't believe what he was hearing and blushed.

"Th-thank you, Miss Anita-"

"Just Anita is fine." Anita said, smiling wider.

"Oh o-okay."

"Yahoo! Now we can work together~!" Lavi said, hugging Allen tightly.

"Wh-what?!" Allen exclaimed. Anita raised an eyebrow.

"Lavi works here in the kitchen too, except he sucks at cooking so he has to wash dishes." Anita said, chuckling. Lavi quit hugging him and stared at Allen for a long while. Anita could see the sparks flying above their heads and grinned. Lavi meanwhile was staring at the sauce that was _slowly _dripping down his face. Lavi bit his lip to restrain himself. He couldn't restrain himself any long and licked the sauce on Allen's face. Allen's face lit up as red as a tomato and he flung himself away from Lavi.

"Wh-wh-wha-what are y-you doing?!" Allen shouted, his blush burning his face as he wiped his face from the remaining saliva Lavi left on his face. "S-so when...do I start?"

"How about tomorrow? Just come here with Lavi." Anita said, patting Allen's head like he was a dog.

"Okay..."

"Alright! So where to next?" Lavi asked, grinning.

* * *

To say Lavi was confused, was an understatement.

He kept bugging Allen about where they were going and Allen wouldn't answer him but kept driving. Lavi did see a blush on his face whenever he was silent for awhile. It aggravated Lavi to no end. _What's he thinking about?! _Lavi wanted to know so badly. Allen stopped and parked outside a pub. Lavi's eyebrows shot up instantly when Allen turned off the ignition. He actually locked the car too-straight after Lavi climbed out.

This was the source of Lavi's confusion.

When Lavi asked Allen about drinking, smoking or doing drugs, he replied no to each one of them yet they were going to a huge _source _of all those things. Was Allen perhaps taking him here so that they could celebrate his birthday? No, that didn't seem the case...so then, if not that...then why would Allen want to go to a pub where there were many men who could...do things...Lavi felt a surge of protectiveness come over him as he glanced over at Allen.

"Allen...are you sure you want to go inside?"

"Shut up, Lavi, I do this all the time." Allen muttered as he walked inside. No one even sent a look their way. "I said I needed money, didn't I?" Lavi's eyes bulged.

"You're not selling you're body, are you?! I thought you were a virgin!" Lavi received a hard hit upside the head. Lavi grinned at Allen's deep blush. A few older men were actually looking over, interested.

"Just shut up." Allen said as he walked around the pub, looking around for a table. He spotted one with a few men playing poker. "Ah, there." Allen smiled the evil smile from before. His smile looked very kind and...childish? Allen approached the table. "Excuse me?"

One of the men sent a short glance upwards before taking a double take at Allen. Lavi saw the man start looking down and around at Allen. _Dude! He's totally checking him out!_ Lavi felt a sudden protective instinct come over him and growled at the man. Allen completely ignored it and the man smirked.

"Wanna play?" The man invited. Allen nodded kindly. Lavi the table a cautious look and pulled a seat up next to Allen. "You've got some balls kid. Is that your boyfriend?" Allen giggled girly and it irked Lavi.

"Of course not, silly! He's just a friend." Allen assured. Lavi felt his heart tug when Allen said that. He didn't know why, but he felt like he was hurting in his chest.

"Good, lets play!"

An hour later...

"Call. Royal Straight Flush." Allen smiled kindly at them. The man's cigarette fell out of his mouth. Allen raked in the cash for the fifth tie.

"Whoa, Allen, hey, what's going on here? I thought you had bad luck!" Allen had that same kind smile on but everyone could now see that it had a creepy edge to it.

"It's because I'm cheating." Allen said with that same smile on his face. Lavi paled.

"Whoa, what?"

"While I was living with Cross, I had to hone my skills to pay money for all his debts. I never lose a game, especially when it comes to poker." Allen giggled evilly and Lavi was seriously freaked out.

"Dark...so dark..." Lavi muttered with a look of horror on his face.

The men decided not to have another round with him and Allen left the table in search of a new poker game going on. He found one at the table and put on that kind smile and innocent look again. Lavi could definitely see the evil in that smile. He didn't know how he missed it before. Lavi sat next to Allen and ordered a drink. Allen sent him a look from the corner of his eye and Lavi caught it as he accepted his drink. He didn't know what it was but he gulped it down like nothing. Allen's eyes widened and Lavi grinned, offering it to him. Allen blushed and shook his head furiously.

"Never drank before?" The bartender asked. Allen nodded shortly and looked away. He played some cards and won. Surprise there. "Here." Thebartender gave him a cup of alcohol. It was lightweighted of course.

"Drink up, Allen!" Lavi grinned. Allen looked at him warily before drinking. Allen coughed a bit but was able to get it down. For the rest of the time there, Allen only had one drink and he played his cards right. In the end, they couldn't go shopping because Lavi got drunk. Allen agreed to drive him home and scolded him for drinking so much.

Allen didn't seem to notice the lusty and hungry look in Lavi's eyes as he stared at Allen.

* * *

When Allen arrived at Lavi's house, he found Kanda sitting there peacefully on the couch. Kanda's eyebrow twitched whenever Allen came through the door with Lavi over his shoulder. Allen would've thought that Kanda would be in his bed by now. Allen heard Lavi grunt irritably. Was he hoping that Kanda was in his room? Kanda looked up at Lavi's irritable grunt. Allen blinked.

"Why hello, Kanda. Lavi got drunk while we were...somewhere so...yeah...don't look at me like that! You act as if I did it on purpose. He got drunk all on his own." Kanda had a scowl on his face and stood up walking over to them.

"What's he drunk on?" Kanda asked. Allen didn't know how to answer that. He also wondered why it would matter.

"I dunno, why?"

"Che, I don't care what you two do but I'm leaving and Lenalee's at Road's house." Kanda turned around and grabbed his keys off the counter. Allen gave him a confused look.

"Do? What do you mean do?" Allen asked.

"Che, don't play dumb with me." Kanda growled and walked towards the door.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Allen said, frowning sincerely. Kanda stared at him for awhile.

"Che." Kanda opened the door and slammed it behind him. _What was that all about?_ He wondered. Allen shrugged and carried Lavi to his room.

"That was weird." Allen inquired as they made it to Lavi's room. Allen closed the door and shut the light off. He was getting ready to lay Lavi on the bed when he felt himself suddenly jerked onto the bed. He felt a weight pinning his wrists above his head and looked up. Lavi's eyes were clouded with lust. "L-Lavi?" Lavi started getting closer to Allen's face. "L...Lavi...what are you..." Allen was silenced when Lavi's lips connected with his own.

_No...he...he doesn't know it's me...I can tell...he doesn't know. He's so drunk that he doesn't even know what he's doing. I...I've got to stop this! But...I can't move. Oh God, why did Kanda have to leave? _Allen's thoughts were interrupted when he felt Lavi's tongue poke through his mouth and search around, looking for his tongue. He graced around it expertly as if he'd done it before...which he kinda has...Allen tried pulling away but he couldn't move his hands. It was the small buzz from the alcohol he had before...why did he feel so weak if he only had one drink? He was most definitely a lightweight...Allen tried pushing his knees against Lavi but Lavi just used his other hand to push them down.

_Stop, Lavi! _Allen thought, tears collecting in his eyes. True, he would've wanted these kinds of things if he and Lavi were in a relationship...but at least Lavi would actually _feel _something for him. Lavi was drunk and probably didn't know the difference between Allen and a random girl on the street. Lavi found Allen's tongue and tempted it to play with him. Allen wouldn't do it though. He tried looking away, but it was as if Lavi's lips had literally captured his own so that he couldn't move. He was starting to lose oxygen. Thankfully, Lavi was losing it as well and knew when to stop. Lavi panted and nibbled on Allen's lip some more. Allen looked away.

"Lavi, s-stop..." He muttered, trying to wiggle free out of Lavi's grasp—but compared to Allen's weak state he was in, Lavi overpowered him easily. Lavi's hand wandered downwards and Allen was too focused on that had to realize that Lavi was diving in for another bruising kiss. "Mmph, La...vi...sop..." Allen couldn't move at all and he just wanted Lavi to stop...if they went any farther, Allen wouldn't be able to face Lavi again. He felt a hand squeeze his bottom and moved upwards away from the offending object...that was a bad idea because Lavi had mistaken it for a thrust and squeezed tighter. Allen gasped and was literally freaking out now.

"Mm..." Lavi groaned hotly into Allen's mouth. Allen burned a red color.

_Did Lavi really just...moan? _

Allen shook his head inwardly. He needed to get out of Lavi's grip. Allen was slightly relieved when Lavi left his bottom half alone but then his hand reached up his shirt. Lavi stopped kissing him and unbuttoned the top button of Allen's shirt. Allen blushed even harder. Lavi's lips trailed kisses down from his jaw, to his neck. Allen did his best to hold in a moan. He couldn't suppress it any longer whenever Lavi started sucking a sensitive spot on Allen's neck. It actually began to hurt for awhile but Allen had to admit it felt good...but...Allen couldn't let Lavi do this. Lavi didn't _know _what he was doing and _who _he was doing these things to.

"S-stop! L-L-Lavi y-you need to s-stop now!" Allen tried to move away but he couldn't move with his hands pinned. Apparently this had no effect because he continued gracing his hand around Allen's chest. "Stop!" Allen was starting to try and flip on his sides so that Lavi would stop. This only seemed to irritate the man and he was getting impatient. Lavi's hand reached the hem of Allen's pants and Allen felt the tears finally fall. _He doesn't know what he's doing...he thinks I'm someone else...he wouldn't want to do this to me... _"Please stop, Lavi..." Allen muttered, tears racing down his cheeks. It was then that the door had burst open and Allen was actually for once thankful towards Kanda as he stormed in and shoved Lavi off of Allen. He yanked Allen off the bed and pushed him out of the room.

"Get out of here." Kanda grumbled. _Kanda... _

"But what about-" _You?_

"Just get out!" Kanda demanded. Allen nodded even though he knew Kanda couldn't see it. With tears soaking his face, he stood there quietly for a moment.

"Thank...you..." Allen ran off. Kanda growled and looked over at Lavi with a pissed off look on his face. Lavi didn't seem so happy either.

_Well shit._

* * *

It had only been a about a few minutes when Kanda saw the beyond confused look on Allen's face cross through his mind. Had the bean sprout really not known what he was talking about? Lavi had obviously been drinking whiskey, which happens to get the rabbit _really..._off and he would take anyone. Surely Lavi had told Allen that before drinking, right? But Allen had acted completely honest to the whole thing and really looked sincere...

So then...what did that mean?

Kanda could only remember far back whenever this would happen to Lavi and then he wouldn't remember anything the next morning. He got slapped plenty of times because of it in fact. _He wouldn't remember anything the next morning...shit! _Kanda did a U-turn around, screeching the tires along the road and he drove as quickly as he could back to the house. He used his emergency brake to stop the car and hopped out, storming into the house and slamming the door. He stopped in the living room and listened for any noises...

"Stop!" He heard a muffled shout from Allen from the bedroom. _Fuck! _Kanda thought bitterly and stomped over to Lavi's room, obviously ticked off. He looked through the crack in the door and saw that Allen had actually started _crying. _"Please stop, Lavi..." He sobbed. Kanda burst through the door and Allen looked to him hopefully. Kanda stormed over and pushed the man with enough force to send him flying off the bed. He hurried to get Allen away from the other man.

"Get out of here." Kanda said to him. In a hoarse whisper, he heard Allen speak.

"But what about-"

"Just get out!" Kanda shouted angrily. He swore he heard two short words of 'thank you' but his ears could be deceiving him. Sure, Allen was an annoying little brat, but he wasn't so cruel as to let him suffer thinking that Lavi did this unintentionally. Kanda _knew _the kid loved the rabbit with all his heart—even though he would fuss up about it. If Lavi accomplished what was about to happen...the kid would've never been able to face him again...now all Kanda had to worry about was facing the man without having Lavi come onto him.

_Well shit._

* * *

**VoTe FoR ThE PoLL...Broken recordness xD Hahaha okay well...suggestions are very much welcome now because I just might run out of ideas after I write what I plan to happen in the next chapter because the chapter MUST be 4k words...and that's adding in the AN xD. Anyways, thanks to the guest, CsillaDream, Shirubagure, and Snipperita for reviewing!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wow, I'm on a roll with these chapters, huh? Just got the BEST suggestion ever though and writer's block doesn't agree with it! Bwahahaha! Take that, writer's block :D but I think I've lost my inspiration to write FMA ._. Anyways, I'm ****_still _****taking suggestions. Oh, and one more thing: VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! :3 Laven Mental Ward is winning by 4 votes!**

* * *

Kanda looked around the room, wondering what the hell he should do next. He needed to get Lavi to calm down or maybe...go to bed! Kanda looked at the doorknob and smirked. Ever since they moved into the house, the lock on Lavi's doorknob was the complete opposite and anyone inside the room could actually be locked in. Kanda backed away slowly and Lavi watched him suspiciously. As swift as he could, Kanda slammed the door and locked it before Lavi could try and open it. The doorknob twisted a few times and there was a shout of anger from Lavi from behind the door as he started banging on it to get out.

_Why don't I just do this more often? Oh wait, that stupid rabbit's grandpa owns the house...damn it..._Kanda stormed away and waited in the living room for the noises to stop. It was a really good thing that Lenalee wasn't here or she would've waken up from all the noise. The pounding eventually stopped and Kanda stood up and looked under the door to see if Lavi was still there. He wasn't. So that only could've meant that the man had gone to sleep. Kanda sighed in relief and reluctantly unlocked the door. Lavi did have work in the morning after all.

Kanda stormed to his room and shut the light off. _That god damn bean sprout probably told his friend. God damn that chick is fucking scary...but not as scary as me. I'm not afraid of her. I wonder what she'll do to Lavi. Damn it she's going to make me get involved because I saved the stupid bean sprout. It would've been worse though if I ignored them and let Lavi do what he wanted. Fuck, why am I even thinking about this?! Whatever..._Kanda thought as he closed his eyes to go to sleep. Sleep overcame him eventually. He was going to have a long morning ahead of him tomorrow.

The next morning, loud banging was echoing throughout the house. Kanda knew he unlocked Lavi's room...but then who was banging on a door like they were getting chased by the cops? Kanda then recognized the noise from the front door. _Shit._ Kanda sat up and turned the light on. He irritably rubbed his eyes, stood up, and started for the door.

"I got it!" He heard Lavi yell from the kitchen. _Fuck!_ Kanda didn't even bother putting his hair up.

Once Lavi answered the door, he felt someone grab the front of his shirt and push him all the way in so they could slam him against the wall. It dizzied Lavi since he had just woke up and had the hangover of a lifetime. His blurred vision eventually straightened out and he was surprised to see Fou standing there, snarling at him. She looked very tired though from the small bags under her eyes. Kanda had later quickly walked into the room.

"What the fuck did you do?!" Fou hissed angrily at him. Lavi nearly peed himself.

"Wha?" Lavi asked, dazed.

"Last night! I thought you were better than that, Lavi!" Fou snarled at him and gripped his shirt more tightly to show she wasn't kidding.

"Last night?" Lavi asked slowly. He strained his mind to think of what happened last night. He and Allen went to a pub...and then...nothing. The last thing he remembered was Allen's smiling face as he played cards. Then it hit him. He drank whiskey last night.

"Oh shit...oh fuck please don't tell me I did something to him! Please don't...oh my god, I did something to him, didn't I?" Fou let go of him in shock. She didn't expect him to answer that way. He paced around the room and muttered to himself, placing his face in his hands. Kanda leaned against the doorway of the living room to watch. He didn't want to get involved unless he absolutely had to.

"You...don't remember?" Fou asked warily.

"I...I drank whiskey last night-which I don't know why I was so stupid to do so-and whenever I do...I can't control my actions and

...and I don't ever remember anything the next day! I've been slapped a couple times from that actually..." Lavi said the last line quietly.

"I see..."

"Wait...how far did I go?" Lavi asked her cautiously.

"Not very far actually." She muttered.

"Really? How's that?" Lavi looked around and spotted Kanda at the door. He looked a little too amused at the situation.

"I stopped you, that's how." Kanda grunted. Fou quickly looked over at Kanda. "You were just about to go a little too far. You're an idiot, stupid rabbit."

"I...I...I didn't mean to! Shit and we've got work today..."

"We?" Both Kanda and Fou asked. Lavi nodded slowly.

"Yeah, when we both went out last night-not in that way Yu-I showed him a place where he could possibly get a job and he got the job...but I work there too...um...am I...can I see Allen? I want to apologize..." Lavi said just loud enough for them to hear. Fou stared at Lavi suspiciously for a long time before sighing.

"That's probably the only way you two can recover from this...okay..." Fou turned around to leave the house and Lavi followed. Neither of them had shoes on. Lavi followed her into the house and up the stairs to Allen's room. Fou knocked on the door. "Allen?" Fou said in a very gentle voice, which surprised Lavi to no bounds. "Allen...I have Lavi with me. He's apologizing, okay?" There was no answer but Fou twisted the door knob slowly and entered the room. She paused for a minute before talking. "I'm going to leave you two alone now, okay?" Allen nodded. She walked out of the room and shoved him inside. Lavi looked at Allen, who was hugging his knees on his bed. His eyes had deeper bags than Fou's /Did he even sleep last night?/ Lavi wondered. He sat on Allen's bed.

"Allen...I...I'm really sorry...I...I didn't know what I was doing..."

"...I know..." Allen said. Lavi now knew why Allen didn't talk. His voice sounded hoarse and shaky.

"Y-you know...I wouldn't...I wouldn't hurt you..." Lavi said. The room seemed really tense. It pained Allen so much. Lavi wouldn't have done those things to him if he had been sober...

"Lavi...I..." Allen started. He couldn't finish though. He couldn't say it. It was just too hard. /I love you.../ Allen looked up at Lavi. "I don't...hate you..." Lavi's eyes brightened and he grinned.

"So...no more grudge?" Allen smiled at him. If Lavi didn't love him, it would still be alright. Because he had the chance to actually be beside the one he loved, even if it was one-sided. He could watch Lavi be happy and that would just make him happier.

"No more grudge." Allen confirmed.

"Yay! I'm sooooo happy!" Lavi said, hugging Allen. Allen hesitated for a minute and hugged Lavi back. Lavi just felt so overjoyed that Allen hugged him back. "Alright! So we should probably get ready for work then!" Lavi said, grinning. Allen blushed and looked away.

"Um...about that...Lavi..." Lavi tilted his head to the side confusingly. Allen rubbed his neck, blushing madly.

"What is it?"

"You...don't...remember anything from last night, do you?"

"Uh...no, why?"

"Y-you kinda..." Allen gulped. "You kinda left...a...mark..." Lavi laughed.

"Oh c'mon, Allen, it can't be that bad." Allen bit the inside of his lip. It sure /looked/ noticeable...

"I..." Allen started.

"Lemme see!" Lavi said, taking Allen's chin and lifting it up. His eyes widened and he poked it. It had to be the size of a golf ball. "Holy shit..." Lavi brushed his finger against it and Allen shuddered. Lavi noticed this but pretended not to. He let go of Allen's chin and began thinking. "Well it's too fucking hot for you to wear a turtle neck." Lavi said. His eyes drifted over to Allen's arm a couple times. "Aha! We could just make it look like you hurt yourself! Hm...how does falling down a hiking trail hill full of sharp branches sound? She'll believe it because she's fallen down one before."

"Lavi, when people do that, they don't get just a scratch." Allen said, rolling his eyes.

"Duh! I've got the most best idea ever! You're going to be wearing short sleeves today!"

"Wh-what?"

Lavi's idea...actually wasn't that bad. Lavi had put a small gauze pad on Allen's neck and started wrapping his left arm in bandages. Allen had actually ended up hurting his left shoulder last night too so the bandages would actually help a bit. Lavi was so busy wrapping up Allen's arm that he hadn't seen the wound yet. Allen had ended up scratching his shoulder off again. He did this when he was younger because he hated his arm. Then it got into a habit and every time he was stressed, he would scratch it again-even if it had nothing to do with his arm. Lavi stopped when he saw the scratch marks and looked at Allen, frowning.

"What...?" Lavi asked. Allen shook his head.

"F-force of habit..." Allen said, not looking at him. Lavi sighed and stood up.

"Wait right here I'll be right back." Lavi mumbled. Allen did as he said and traced the scars around his shoulder. Was Lavi upset with him? Lavi returned and sat down in front of him. He took Allen's hand away and applied a cool ointment on it and rubbed it on his shoulder. Allen wanted to ask if Lavi was upset, but he didn't want to know if he was because if he was, he'd be upset with Allen and Allen didn't want that. "There, all better." Lavi said, snapping Allen out of his thoughts.

"Thank you..."

"No problem! That's what friends are for, right?" Lavi asked warily. Allen smiled.

"Yeah..." He replied.

"Okay! Time to head out then!" Lavi exclaimed. Allen was thankful that Lavi hadn't asked about his shoulder. Before he could protest, Lavi started dragging him down the stairs. Allen ended up tripping over his foot and rolling down the stairs with him. And as if fate loved to embarrass Allen, Lavi was on top of his hips while Fou and Bak were on the couch watching a movie. Allen's face flushed a deep cherry color and he looked away covering his mouth.

"Damn, I just can't seem to stay off you, huh?" Lavi said, grinning. That comment made Allen blush so hard his ears turned red and he pushed Lavi off him.

"Don't say stuff like that!" Allen said, picking himself up and holding out his right hand to help Lavi up. Lavi, grinning, took it and just pulled Allen down on top of him. Allen's blush covered his entire face. "Stop that!"

"Why, do you like it?" Lavi asked in a husky voice. Fou couldn't take it any longer and had a nosebleed. She rushed to the bathroom. Lavi just laughed louder. Bak sighed and looked away from them, blushing. Allen climbed off of Lavi and refused to help him up. Lavi pouted but Allen just ignored him, crossing his arms and looking away stubbornly. Lavi chuckled and stood up.

"Well, let's go!" Lavi exclaimed. He was starting towards the door but Fou blocked him.

"Where to?" She asked suspiciously, holding toilet paper on her bloody nose. Allen freaked out while Lavi just grinned at her.

"Um, work?" He replied.

"Uwah! Are you okay, Fou?! You're bleeding!" Allen hurried over. Fou held a hand up.

"I'm completely fine Short Stack, don't worry about it." She said. "You're so innocent it's cute. Anyways, I didn't know you had a job, Allen..."

"I do, I just got one yesterday..." Allen replied.

"Wait, you and Lavi went on a date to get you a job?" Fou asked. Allen's blush returned to his face.

"No! We weren't on a date! Lavi just wanted to come along!" Allen said, trying to force his blush to go down.

"If you say so..." Fou said uncertainly. She finally removed the tissue from her nose and let them through.

"Have fun, Short Stack~!" She called at them. Allen just ignored her and kept walking to his car, unlocking it.

Lavi was staring at Allen, trying to figure him out again. He just made no sense at all! When he had that grudge on, he barely blushed in front of Lavi and he _hated _close contact...and now he was blushing every time Lavi commented on something! He reminded Lavi more about how he used to be in high school. Is this what Allen acted like in front of Fou? Does he always act this way around his friends? Was it just because Lavi and him weren't friends before...or was it...something else? _I know it's stupid of me to think...but...usually only the people who crush on each other act that way...could it be that Allen...no, he told me that he used to have a crush on me. He never said he still liked me. But...it could be a possibility._

"You coming in or not?" Allen asked, snapping Lavi out of his thoughts. Lavi smirked and climbed in the car. Allen stared at him. _Why is he smirking? _Lavi couldn't help it any longer and laughed.

"That's what she said." He snickered. Allen's jaw dropped and he blushed again, turning the keys in the ignition.

"Oh jeez. So what time are we supposed to be there?" Allen asked as he pulled out of his driveway again, looking both ways. He pulled up to the light and waited for Lavi's answer as he did so. Lavi glanced at the clock.

"Um...ten minutes ago." Lavi answered. Allen sat there for a minute. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Though in most situations, that pin sounded a little too loud but yeah, you get the point. Allen sighed.

"Great. Late on the first day." Allen grumbled and turned left.

"She'll understand. Especially when you're all 'banged up'." Lavi replied. Allen drove pretty fast and Lavi almost thought that they were going twenty miles past the speed limit had the gauge not said 55. He grabbed onto a handle anyways and stared at Allen in shock. Why was he driving so fast?! Allen had always been cautious while driving. He flicked his turning signal on and zoomed past a car. He turned it back on again and went the other way. He smirked at that. Lavi looked at him curiously. Why was he smirking? Was it the person in the car? "Why...?"

"That was Neah's car." Allen supplied. Lavi started laughing.

"Does he know what your car looks like?" Lavi asked. Allen laughed.

"Probably but he has this insane road rage." Allen chuckled. The car zoomed past them and Neah flipped him off. Allen laughed again.

It was music to Lavi's ears to hear him so happy. He seemed like he was going to be depressed today by the bags under his eyes, but Lavi was glad that he wasn't. For some reason, he didn't like the look on his face when he was depressed. It just hurt him for some reason. Allen parked the car quickly and turned the ignition off. He hopped out and slammed the door. He instantly locked it once Lavi was out. Slamming the doors, they both quickly walked over to the door and opened it. Right when they entered, Lavi started getting dragged off by his ear by Anita. Anita was a bit nicer and dragged him in by his right arm.

"Where the hell have you two been?! And what the hell happened to you, Allen?" Anita asked, a bit worried. Allen felt a bit bad that his appearance suggested something that wasn't true.

"He fell down a hill." Lavi lied. Allen also felt guilty that Lavi had lied so easily to her. She gave Allen a sympathetic look and it only made him feel worse. She threw them into the kitchen.

"Well, get to work!" She commanded.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do?!" Allen asked, panicking. She smirked at him.

"I'll let you figure it out." She said. Allen didn't feel so guilty anymore and dropped his jaw. Everyone stared at him weirdly and he suddenly felt self-conscious. _Oh please don't make this like high school. _Lavi swooped in to save the day.

"Guys, meet Allen Walker. He's the shit. You are welcomed to call him bean sprout, shorty, short stack-oof!" Lavi started but Allen elbowed him in the gut. The kitchen laughed at them. Allen blushed and averted his gaze. Allen felt someone clap their hands on his right shoulder and looked up to see a man with green hair that was tied to the left of his head. He had two dots on his forehead and a few beauty marks on his face.

"Don't worry, you'll do just fine." He reassured. Some of Allen's hair tilted back, revealing his scar. The man's eyes slightly widened but that was all. _That scar is..._Allen smiled at him, cutting off his thoughts.

"Thank you." Allen replied, still smiling. The man nodded and held his hand out towards Allen, his right hand at that.

"You're very welcome. My name is Tokusa, yours?" Tokusa asked, smiling.

"Allen Walker." Tokusa's eyes widened again but he shook Allen's hand all the same.

Lavi gave Tokusa a warning stare. He knew the man had been involved in the Akuma investigation and it was obvious that he knew Allen had been involved with them before. Bookman was Lavi's source of knowledge from this of course. He knew all about The Akuma because of Bookman. Bookman told him all the information about them about a week ago, including Allen's secret. He didn't know much about Allen's father but he did know that Mana was killed by The Akuma gang. He didn't know how, but he just knew that part. Tokusa was nice but when it came to work, Tokusa was serious and didn't take no for an answer most of the time. Surely he would try doing something with Allen to get information out of him about the Akuma that Allen didn't know. Or maybe Lavi was just acting paranoid...

"Okay! Let's get to work everyone!" Madarao, one of the head chefs, commanded. Madarao was a young man with blue hair-who also had two dots on his forehead-that was mostly cut short except for the low ponytail that was kept in large beads. He had a strap around his forehead and looked a bit bizarre to Allen. But, who was Allen to talk? "New kid, c'mere, I'll show you around." Madarao invited. Lavi also gave him a warning look. Madarao caught it and narrowed his eyes at Lavi. Lavi walked over and removed Allen from Madarao's grip.

"I think I can manage that." Lavi said, smiling grimly at Madarao. Allen was confused and just tried to pretend like he wasn't included in the conversation. "C'mon, Allen."

"O-okay..." Allen let Lavi drag him around the kitchen and Lavi pointed everything out. What Allen did notice, was that all the head chefs looked a bit odd and they all had two dots-which looked like moles-on their forehead.

"Allen." Lavi said, bringing Allen to attention. He had the most serious look on his face.

"What is it?" Allen asked, looking around the kitchen, still amazed with it.

"Look at me, Allen." Allen blinked and looked at Lavi's serious face. "Stay away from the head chefs, okay? Promise me that you will." Lavi said, gripping Allen's right shoulder. Allen frowned at him and Lavi's over protective instinct was going off like a siren during a tornado.

"I...okay." Allen said uncertainly. He felt unsure about it, since they were basically his bosses, but Lavi looked serious about the situation and Lavi _never _looked serious. Relief washed through Lavi like a tidal wave. Allen could see the relief on his face and was actually pretty worried. Why would Lavi want him to stay away from them so much?

"Great! So right over here..." and Lavi went back to touring Allen around the kitchen. Allen could feel the eyes of the head chefs on him. He felt thoroughly uncomfortable with it but decided not to tell Lavi. He didn't want to bother him... "But yeah, that's it. On a whole different topic, are you going to come to my birthday party this Saturday?"

"Oh, I dunno, Lavi...I'm not really one for parties." Allen fiddled with the hem of his shirt nervously.

"Eh, why not? They're so freaking fun!" Lavi exclaimed, and then he pouted, giving Allen the puppy dog eye. "Eh, c'mon, Allen~! It's for my birthday." Lavi whined. Allen stared at him for a long time.

"You realize that doesn't work on me, right?" Allen said blankly. Lavi groaned and hugged Allen around the stomach.

"Pleeeeease, Allen?" Lavi begged. Allen blushed down at him.

"Um...can you stop that?" Allen asked. Everyone had actually started looking over. Lavi looked up and around at everyone who was staring at them and smirked. Allen sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll go to your stupid party."

"It's not stupid!" Lavi whined. He cheered up afterwards though and hugged Allen around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" After chanting the words, Lavi kissed Allen on the cheek. Allen pushed Lavi away instantly and rubbed his cheek.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Allen tried to act angry, but it wasn't working out too well and only came out as panicky. Lavi grinned at him and skipped away. Allen glared at him. Lavi was just playing around, making him look like a little kid. _I'll show him! _Allen turned around and walked the other way.

For the rest of the day, Lavi washed, rinsed, dried, and stacked dishes away. Allen actually had it much tougher. This restaurant was sort of like a cafe and had the chefs serve them the food they cooked so that they could comment on their cooking while Anita listened in to see if they improved or not. There were these two customers though that kept on asking for Allen to serve his food. If Allen remembered correctly, it was the two employees that worked at the New Ark Mall. You know, the two that Lavi stole the loading trolley from? Yeah, them.

Every time Allen would serve them food, they would flirt with him. Okay, Allen might be a little innocent, but he knew what flirting was when he saw it...well, the Cross kind of flirting. He didn't know about the stuff Lavi did. Apparently though, the customers were allowed to flirt with the employees though and the other way around. Devit though, was _really _interested. He did look good, Allen would admit, but he seemed a bit too...playful. Lavi was playful, but he wasn't flirt playful...or at least not as much as Devit. Devit just _wouldn't stop flirting. _Allen had a feeling that it was because Tyki, who also happened to be in the restaurant, was fuming whenever Devit said something to make him blush.

"So what are you doing Saturday?" Devit asked as Allen served them _another _plate of Mitarashi Dango. Allen was tempted to eat it himself since they _obviously _weren't.

"Hmm, actually, I'm busy." Allen said while looking at the ceiling. Devit frowned at that.

"Busy doing what? Don't tell me you've got a boyfriend." Devit said, frowning deeper. Allen blushed a bright pink color and Tyki's hand crushed the glass that he was holding.

"N-no! I was just invited to Lavi's birthday party is all." Allen said. A grin appeared on Devit's face.

"Really? As was I! Wanna be my date?" Devit said, grabbing Allen around the waist. Allen instantly blushed a deep red and dodged out of Devit's grip.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-no th-thank you! I...I've got t-to go now!" Allen hurried away from the offending man and into the kitchen. He got another order that happened to be from Tyki. How ironic. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Allen took Tyki's plate of fried fish over to said man. Now that he thought about it, Allen hadn't seen Tyki for awhile. "Good afternoon, Tyki." Allen said, placing the plate on his table.

"Good afternoon, boy." Tyki replied, smirking. He did eye Allen's bandages before eating his fish. "So what were those two idiots saying to you?"

"O-oh...not much, really..." Allen muttered, looking away from Tyki. Allen started picking up the pieces of the broken glass that was shattered on the table. He wondered what had happened but didn't question Tyki about it. Tyki would just have to leave an extra tip for Anita for breaking glass. He still had his hand on the table after putting all the glass in his right hand.

"Really? You looked a bit uncomfortable there for a minute." Tyki implied. Allen shrugged.

"Eh...well, I'm going to go now." Allen said, smiling. His smile dropped whenever Tyki placed his hand over Allen's. Allen flinched and took his hand away. He averted his gaze and walked off. Tyki grit his teeth together. _It means the brat trusts you. _Cross' words echoed inside his mind. Did this mean that Allen didn't trust him anymore?

The rest of the day was like that. It was probably around five o' clock when Lavi and Allen were finished with their shifts. They both went to Kroger's after that so Allen could go grocery shopping and Lavi started goofing off to the point that the manager of the store told him that he should behave or they would be banned from the store. So, just like at the mall, Allen handcuffed Lavi to the cart and everyone gave them strange stares while the security laughed at them. Allen finally checked out and the person working gave them both a bizarre look. Allen just shook his head at her, basically telling her not to even ask. He unlocked Lavi's hands and made him carry bags. Lavi pouted the whole way there but he didn't complain. He was lucky Allen was taking him with him instead of dropping him off. Once they got to Allen's house, Lavi volunteered to help them carry the bags and Fou forced Bak to carry bags too.

That was basically how their night went. After Allen cooked dinner for everyone, they all went to their own beds. Lavi wanted to spend the night but Allen told him no because he knew Lavi would keep him up all night. While Allen laid awake in his bed, he could only hope that the week would pass by slowly. He wasn't ready for going to Lavi's birthday party. There was definitely going to be a lot of people that used to pick on him there. For once, he really wanted the week to pass by slowly. Anything to get him prepared for Lavi's party.

But of course nothing ever went Allen's way.

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**This chapter was actually really long O_O I dunno why...it just was...oh well. Thanks to Snipperita, Usagi-Twins, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, DGrayManFanatic, MintGreenn, Shirubagure, Toph Hitsugaya (Yay! Glad I could convert someone to Laven! ^^), izumooichi, myangelicladyofdarkness, NinthAvenue, and the guest for reviewing! Remember, VoTe FoR ThE PoLL!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm actually getting used to writing on the Doc Manager now! :D Okay so...today was a bit embarrassing for me...I had band practice and it actually started ****_raining. _****Our band teacher made us continue marching in the rain. And you know, that's kinda normal but...I WAS WEARING A FREAKIN WHITE SHIRT D: Yeah...it was bad...anyways~ VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! Why am I getting so many suggestions now that Lavi's party is coming up? XD Hahahaha someone's excited c; Oh and if anyone doesn't know, the font FFN uses is Verdana and it's size is 7.8! Oh and I do still PM people if any of you want to chat. **

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The week had ended up zooming by so quickly, Allen didn't even know it was Saturday until Lavi swung his arm around Allen's neck and told him about it. Tyki noticed and was eyeing them from afar.

"So, lil' buddy, you excited about tonight?" Lavi asked, grinning from ear to ear. Allen was already used to Lavi touching him all the time, so he didn't blush-surprisingly enough. He was a bit confused though by Lavi's words.

"Tonight? What's tonight?" Allen asked. Lavi stared at him before realizing that he wasn't kidding. Lavi pouted and stuck his bottom lip out.

"Alleeeen~! You're so mean! My birthday party!" Lavi whined. Allen suddenly gasped and smacked his forehead. He forgot all about it that he hadn't prepared himself to meet everyone. Lavi frowned at him. "You forgot?" He truly looked hurt and Allen felt guilty.

"S-sorry, I was just so focused with work and..." Allen sighed. A brilliant idea popped in his head. Since Lavi was his friend, he could get him a present! He'd never given anyone a present before-except for Kanda but he was a different case...

"I understand...just promise me you'll be there." Lavi said with a serious face, sighing.

"How long do I have to stay?" Allen asked. Lavi gave him an incredulous look.

"Why do you not want to come so bad?" _A joke that went too far. _Tyki's words chose now of all times to pop up in Lavi's mind. Allen sighed.

"It's nothing." Allen said, removing Lavi's arm from around his shoulder. Allen got back to work, his attitude being killed for awhile there.

After work, Allen dropped Lavi off at his house around five o' clock and then said he had 'errands' to run. Lavi simply reminded him that he better be at his house around seven o' clock. Lavi had been trying to decide on whether or not to invite Fou. Allen meanwhile, drove all the way to the Ark Mall. He would probably be back around six so he wouldn't be late...hopefully. He did receive a call from Fou half and hour later when he was around the mall area. He could see it in plane view. The mall was a bit weird and was shaped like a large cube. But, a mall was a mall. He had no idea what he was going to get Lavi, but he did know that Lavi liked...bright colors and accessories. Allen could swear he's seen Lavi wear earrings before, but he wasn't all too sure. Allen picked his phone up all the same, ignoring his mind rant.

"Hello?" Allen asked into the phone, not bothering to check his Caller ID. Hey, talking while you were driving was dangerous. He didn't want to take his eyes off the road for one second. He easily got distracted after all.

"Yo, Allen! Where'd you run off to? You have a party to get ready for!" Fou yelled into the phone. Allen winced and held the phone a few more inches away from his ear. Why couldn't Fou just talk on the phone like a normal person? Allen sighed.

"I know, Fou." Allen said. Fou paused for a minute, worrying Allen. He regretted ever being worried...

"You're getting him something, aren't you?" Fou asked. Allen could _feel _her grin on the other side of the phone. He blushed. "And now you're blushing." Allen blushed even deeper at her comment. How could she tell? What was he supposed to say back to that? "And now you're at loss for words."

"Are you psychic or something?!" Allen exclaimed. Fou cackled.

"No, you're just easy to read!" Fou said, giggling. "And cute!" Allen sighed in response.

"Okay, so if you _knew _I was going somewhere, why did you call?" Allen asked.

"Good question. Tell you what, I'll meet you at that large mall called Ark over there." Fou said. Allen was silent for a long time. He looked to his left and saw Fou in the passenger's seat of Bak's car, that was moving right next to his, on her phone. She was waving and grinning at him. Bak was just shaking his head, smiling. Allen face palmed. Fou hang up and Bak followed Allen since he didn't know how to get in the parking lot. Allen parked his car and got out. Fou ran over to him immediately.

"Fou, what are you doing here?" Allen asked. Fou's grin just grew wider and Allen began to worry that her face would end up getting stuck like that. Neah often told him stories about things like that and it would actually scare him really bad that he'd never grin. Then Mana would hit Neah upside the head for lying to him. But was it really a lie? Allen hoped it was. He didn't want that grin stuck on Fou's face forever.

"One, you've never been to a party before so we gotta shop for you and two, I need to get myself some stuff too!" Fou said excitedly. She seemed a bit too excited at the fact of Allen trying on clothes...

"You have to wear certain things to parties?" Allen asked. Fou laughed and ruffled his hair.

"This is exactly why I'm here, Short Stack. Just let me worry about this." She said in a somewhat serious tone. Allen shrugged and Fou dragged Allen in and Bak walked in like a normal person. Fou dragged him into the clothes section and browsed the store. Allen didn't bother following her around just looked around. "You, Johnny guy! C'mover here!" Allen heard Fou call for an employee. He noticed her point over in his direction. Johnny, the employee-who by the way looked like a scientific genius from his looks-ran over to him with a tape measure in his hands.

"H-h-hey, Allen...I've got to..um...measure you." He stuttered.

"Um...how do you know my name?" Allen asked cautiously, half hoping that Fou had been the one to tell Johnny his name. He knew Johnny's name because of the name tag on his left breast.

"Oh! I was a Senior you Freshman year." Johnny replied. Allen was surprised because Johnny looked tiny but he didn't say anything about that.

"Oh..." Allen muttered awkwardly. That meant that Johnny must have seen what happened to him back in high school...he could've missed one of the days like Lenalee had though...but Allen wouldn't know and it would probably be even more awkward if he tried to ask him about it. Johnny opened the measuring tape and started measuring Allen's shoulders, abdomen-to which he was surprised by Allen's toned body, which Allen thought was weird because _everyone _seemed to be surprised that he was actually _fit-_and his waist. Allen stood there awkwardly the entire time. Fou laughed at him and snapped a picture.

"So, are you going to Lavi's party tonight?" Johnny asked just to make a conversation. He didn't at all expect Allen's answer.

"I am actually. That's the whole reason I'm here with her. She says that I have to get certain clothes for it." Johnny sent him a disbelieving look. Allen sighed. "Long story." _It looks like he saw after all..._

"Good to see you're getting along now." Johnny said, smiling. "I've been recently employed at BOU (Black Order University)...I'm a bit nervous..." Allen smiled at him as he fidgeted.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Johnny looked up and blushed at Allen's sincere smile. He barely even knew the kid and here Allen was complimenting him. He actually heard nasty rumors about Allen in the school but Allen didn't seem to fit the rumors' criteria at all. He didn't really look like a freak...he actually looked really kind and caring. He didn't know why he ever listened to rumors.

Fou smiled at Allen. He was so nice and less avoiding now that him and Lavi were friends. He didn't even flinch away from Johnny when he tried to measure him...though it could've been because Johnny didn't look like he could hurt a fly. Once Fou was done measuring, Fou dragged Johnny off to another section of the store. Allen shrugged and walked around, looking for something Lavi might like. He came across a comfortable-looking orange scarf and was instantly reminded of Lavi. It looked like the color of his truck, which was a bit too bright for Allen's taste, but brightness basically framed the red head. Allen figured that he'd come back later to see if he'd actually get it. He wandered around some more before Fou tackled him in a hug.

"Short Stack! Hey! I got something for you to try on!" She exclaimed. Before Allen could protest, she shoved the outfit into Allen's hands and pushed him into a changing stall. Allen frowned but tried on the clothes. They were a bit too...he couldn't even explain it. But he did feel a bit uncomfortable wearing these kind of clothes...he had on tight skinny jeans, a long sleeved black and white striped shirt that hung a little past his shoulders and a silky white tank top under his shirt.

"Um...Fou..." Allen said nervously, not coming out. "This seems a bit too extreme..."

"Just get out here or I'll force you out myself." Fou grumbled. Allen nervously walked out and actually caught the attention of a few passerby. He didn't like it when people stared at him. Allen blushed deeply.

"I don't wanna wear it..." Allen whined. Fou was too busy staring at him to even retort back. Allen puffed out his cheeks and put on a cute pout face. "Fou~, I don't want to-" Fou hurried and snapped a picture. Allen was puzzled. "Did you just...take a picture?" Fou nodded quickly and grinned. She gave Allen some finger-less gloves and Allen was beginning to question the style she was interested in. He almost felt like one of those stereotypical emo guys.

"You look great, especially your skin tone...ah, Allen, you should show your skin more often." Fou grinned at him. Allen blushed and looked away. Fou tried her best to restrain herself from checking Allen out so much as they walked around the mall to get Allen some new shoes. Before they left to walk around, Allen purchased the scarf but hid it away from Fou's view. Allen _really _felt uncomfortable with all the stares he was getting. He was actually stopped by one girl and she asked him the most _bizarre _question he'd ever heard.

"A-are you some type of new role model?!" She asked. Allen blushed and hid behind Fou, shaking his head. The short fangirl couldn't help herself and snapped a picture of the cute photo.

"Yo, chick, send me that!" Fou said. The girl, Sachiko, was more than happy to exchange numbers with her. Neah's eyes widened when he saw Allen and he hurried over to smuggle the boy in his arms.

"You're so cute~!" Neah chirped, squeezing the life out of him. Allen couldn't even get words out.

"Okay, that's enough, Neah, you don't want to kill him now." Fou said, placing a hand on Neah's shoulder.

Allen really didn't get why random people stared at him so much now. His clothes were kind of tight...and his right shoulder was exposed (his left was still covered in bandages). Allen just seemed to be targeted by many people. After Fou had made him buy black and white air walks. She tried getting him to get the calf-high ones, but he refused and said that was _way _too over-the-top. Allen just felt like a penguin. He was just so black and white all over. This only seemed to bring out his scar more, but Fou complimented him, saying that it made him look drop dead sexy. Like that was a surprise.

After they were done getting him ready, Fou let him venture off to buy something for Lavi. She made sure to stalk him for a little bit if only to get a full body picture of him. Then she left him alone to do his shopping and went shopping for himself. She grinned slyly and sent the picture to Lenalee. The picture message read: **Don't show anyone this, I want it to be a surprise! Just look how cute Allen is! c; He was really nervous about wearing it but I convinced him to wear it XD what do ya think?** It wasn't long after she received a message from Lenalee: _Oh my God! He is so...so...so...ADORABLE! Where are you guys at? Lavi was looking for you to invite you to his birthday party..._Fou glanced down at her phone and thought briefly about whether she should reply or not. She did anyways: **Eh, we're at the mall. I wanted to get Allen some clothes and I was coming even if he said I couldn't! . Don't worry, I'll make sure he's on time though! **Fou ignored Lenalee's next message and started looking around for something for her to wear.

Meanwhile, Allen looked around the mall, not really getting very far with finding Lavi a present. Then he suddenly remembered Lavi's room. He didn't want to because it brought up memories of what happened before, but he remembered idly stepping all over papers and there were countless books stacked up around his room. The only thing Allen could remember about them is that some of them were novels, some were books on information, and the color of the cover of the book. His photographic memory wasn't sophisticated, but it did tell him some things. _Hmm..._Allen hummed in thought as he looked for a bookstore in the mall. By the looks of it, Lavi had read a _lot _of books. He'd just have to hope that he didn't get him one that he'd already read before. He really didn't know what to get Lavi and had to ask one of the workers what they would suggest for him. Hopefully his appearance didn't say too much. _  
_

In the end, Allen bought two books for Lavi. He hoped Lavi would like them. It'd be awkward if he didn't. He bought _The World According to Garp by John Irving _and _The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler. _They didn't seem _too _out of the ordinary and he just rolled with it. He felt like he should get him at least one more thing. So far, his purchases for Lavi had been pretty cheap compared to Kanda's present, but Kanda's present was so easy to get. Lavi was like a really hard dictionary that had words that Allen had never even heard of inside. Basically, it was hard to read Lavi despite his cheerful appearance. The last thing he got for Lavi was a small key chain of a hammer that reminded him of Lavi for some reason. He didn't know why, it just did. Allen just put all of the things he bought in a black bag with white tissue paper (_Yay, matches my outfit. _Allen thought sarcastically.) and looked around to find Fou.

When he found said pervert, he saw that she was dressed in a purple tube top and some tan colored cargo pants. She was wearing purple converses which had checkerboard laces. She also had a bag. That was a bit odd to Allen, but he didn't question her. He really didn't think that Fou would get Lavi something. They finally decided to head out and when they got back, it was probably around six forty five. Fou was pushing Allen towards Lavi's house with the full on intent of bursting through the door. Okay, so what if they were early? Fou hammered her fist on the door. Allen really felt uncomfortable in his getup now. He didn't know why he was worried about Lavi's reaction to him. Lavi answered the door with his eyebrow raised at them.

"Sup, Lavi, my man? We got presents!" Fou said, shoving him aside like he wasn't the one receiving the gifts here. Fou had a tight hold on Allen's wrist to make sure that he didn't run away like he really felt like doing right now. He could practically _feel _Lavi's eyes on his outfit. He desperately wished to ask about it but Fou didn't give him any time to talk-and it wasn't because she didn't want him to ask the question. She just wanted to get the gift thing over with. Allen, for some reason, felt too nervous to watch Lavi open his gift he got for him. He was thankful that Fou had wanted to tour his house. No one had actually shown up yet, but Fou had a feeling there would be a _lot _of people coming. Lavi's house was a bit bigger than Allen thought when he had been in it a few times before.

It was only a matter of minutes before the real party started. Lavi had passed them by to store the presents in the room and Allen felt him looking at him again. Was his outfit really that noticeable? Lenalee had made sure to reassure Lavi that Allen didn't wear that on purpose. Lavi simply grinned at her and told her it was fine because he probably would've ended up coming in a button-up shirt anyways. Allen really didn't want to stay for the rest of the party. His stomach was knotting up in nerves and he didn't want Lavi to see his nervousness. Allen felt relieved to be around Fou because he _knew _that she'd kick anyone's ass if they even tried laying a threatening finger on him. They walked back into the living room to see a girl all over Lavi..._literally. _

She had very light blue pigtails and teal beads that held said pigtails in place. She had brown eyes that looked more seductive than anything when she stared at Lavi. She was, oddly enough, wearing a maid's dress and her ears seemed to be a pit pointier than normal ears. Allen wasn't happy at all with the way she was licking his ear and violating his personal space. Lavi frowned at her but didn't do anything to push her away. Allen didn't enjoy this all too much but he knew that it was best to not get involved with the two of them. Lavi was just his friend, nothing more, nothing less. He could do whatever he wanted with the person he loved-even though Allen would probably feel beyond molested if he was Lavi. Of course though, Allen was wondering the exact same thing that Fou was:

Who was this girl?

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**I have never in my life read those books but I did see them suggested somewhere...oh well if you don't like it then I don't care deal with it XD. I really didn't know what to make Allen give Lavi but the next chapter is where all the serious stuff starts...and since its going to be an actual adult party, there's going to be adult games like beer pong and I've Never/Never Have I Ever, maybe some 7 Minutes In Heaven -wink wink-. More game suggestions are welcome. Perhaps there'll be karaoke too XD. Don't forget to leave suggestions and VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! Thanks to ellarockabella, Mint Greenn, Shirubagure, Jazebeth, CsillaDream, the3leonine, The Archangel Angel and the guest for reviewing!**


	16. Chapter 16

**If any of you didn't know, Mimi is an actual character in the anime. She's that Akuma that was Lulubell's old maid. I probably could've updated this sooner, but I'm like _really _sick. I've had a fever all day and my throat hurts :l I think I might be getting strep. I just hope I don't start sneezing a billion times in a row again...my mom got so annoyed lol. **

**Heads Up: For Seven Minutes In Heaven...there's a _lot _of different ways to do it. Like if any of you have watched 13 Going On 30 (Cute movie by the way!), they blindfolded the person and sent someone in...but from other fics I've read, they just stuff two people in a dark closet and tell them what to do...I guess I'll just kinda combine those two together if you all don't mind.**

**Anyways, make sure you VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! :3**

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Allen saw Fou look over at him a few times as they sat in the living room together, waiting until the party actually began. He didn't know why she kept looking over, but it could've been because Lavi and Mimi were sucking faces like vacuum cleaners on the couch. _I wonder if she knows that I like Lavi. She probably does, and she's probably wondering what happened between me and Lavi when he came to see me. Oh well, she'll probably end up getting her answers soon enough. _Allen sighed aloud—not really on purpose—and everyone seemed to nod their heads toward each other.

Kanda's eye was twitching, Fou was sitting crisscross on the floor, Lenalee looked pissed off, and Allen was casually leaning against the wall wondering what the hell was going on in Lavi's head at the moment. Mimi occasionally looked over at Allen when her and Lavi weren't sucking faces. _He looks a lot like beansprout. No...he looks exactly like beansprout...but if he's beansprout...why is he at Lavi's party? Did they like become friends or something? _Mimi thought.

She knew Lavi didn't want to kiss her, but she could have Lulubell kick his ass if he didn't. That wasn't much fun—the fact that he didn't want to kiss her. She eyed Allen closely. She noticed that the 'orange head girl' looked over at her and scowled. _Are they dating or something? _Mimi thought again. She smirked. It would be fun if she stole him from her. The doorbell rang, cutting off everyone's thoughts and Lavi didn't hesitate to jump up out of Mimi's grip.

"Aha! Finally!" He cheered excitedly and ran to open the door.

While he was preoccupied, Mimi scooted on over next to Allen. Allen was completely oblivious to the whole thing but everyone—except Lavi, who was answering the door—was glaring at her. Allen froze when he felt Mimi's fingers walking up his arm as she blew cold air on the side of his neck. He flinched and flung himself away from her and blushed. _Cute. _Mimi thought, grinning evilly. Fou started cracking her knuckles and glared at Mimi.

"Don't even try it, girl." Fou snarled at her. She scowled back.

"Okay! Let's get this thing set up!" Lavi announced from the doorway. He had the DJ crew come in and set things up quickly—it was a bit surprising how quick they could be for a DJ. Not even a few minutes pass by did Allen feel claustrophobic. There were just _so _many people. Many of them were old friends from high school and they tended to _stare _at Allen. Some with eyes that made his skin crawl.

"Yo, Allen! So, how are ya liking the party?" Lavi asked, slinging one of his arms around Allen's shoulders. Allen could smell alcohol on him and froze up. He then remembered that it was only whiskey when Lavi acted like that. He relaxed a bit, but could feel Mimi's eyes on him.

"Um...it just started..." Allen said, picking Lavi's hand up like it was a snotty tissue and dropping it.

"So? Oh yeah, I was going to ask, what's up with the outfit? You don't normally dress like that—not that you shouldn't." Lavi added the last part quickly. Allen opened his mouth to reply but then closed it.

"Wait...are you complimenting me?" Allen asked. Lavi laughed.

"Duh!" He said, clapping a hand on Allen's back. Allen blushed.

"F-Fou made me wear it..." Allen muttered. Lavi could barely hear him over the music.

"Speaking of Fou, where's she at? I'd expect her to be hanging around you." Lavi said, slinging his arm around Allen's shoulder again, despite what Allen did earlier ago.

"I think she went to the bathroom..." Allen couldn't really look at Lavi all that much. Not only did he smell alcohol on the man, he also smelled a _lot _of different perfumes. His nose was sensitive to it and he really felt like sneezing. That wasn't the point though. Just how many people had Lavi sucked face with tonight? Allen felt a little downhearted at the thought. He wouldn't admit it to anyone aloud, but he had already accepted being in love with Lavi.

"Huh, so, wanna play some games?" Lavi asked, grinning. Allen had a bad feeling about that grin.

"Uh...what kinda games?" Allen asked nervously.

"Here, lemme see if there's any open, wait here!" Lavi said over the loud music and ran off to the kitchen.

Allen stood there awkwardly and waddled over to the wall despite the fact that Lavi just told him to stay there. Allen felt a bit nervous about standing in the middle of sweaty bodies rocking against each other though. He leaned up against the wall and waited for nothing in particular. He felt a thick arm droop around his shoulder and froze up. He looked up to see a man with slicked back black hair and medium blue eyes. The man didn't look at him at all.

"You're Allen Walker, aren't you?" The man said. Allen bit his lip...how did this guy know who he was?

"U-um..." Allen muttered awkwardly.

"Suman. Suman Dark. That's my name, ring a bell?" Allen thought for a minute before gasping.

"_You're _Suman?" Allen asked, amazed. The man smiled a little and nodded.

_Mana...Mana...Mana! Why...stop it! Stop hurting Mana! _

"_Allen...run..." Mana was staring at him with dulled golden eyes. Allen shook his head as tears streaked down his face, splattering on Mana's cheek. The Akuma men were advancing on him, smiling evilly. The door burst open and a man with dark hair with a bit of graying specks broke the door down. In followed a red headed man and another boy that was probably about four years older than Allen was. He looked very beat up and fragile at the moment. "Allen...please..." Allen looked down at him. "Keep...walking..." Allen couldn't help but sob on the man's chest._

"_Mana...don't die please! I love you, Mana!" Allen sobbed. _

"_Allen..." The light in Mana's eyes died and Allen just sobbed harder. _

"_Hurry! Kill that boy!" One of the Akuma gang muttered. At first, Allen thought they were talking about him. Then he looked over to see the bruised boy running away from the others. He looked so confused and petrified. He ran over to where Allen was and stared at him in an apologetic manner. Cross and the other man held down some of the gang but some came through the defenses. _

"_Allen! Suman! Run!" The dark haired man shouted. Allen couldn't move. Mana had just died and they expect him to leave him behind? Allen refused and stayed put. Suman looked like he didn't know what to do. Allen saw one of the men appear right beside him and Allen quickly shoved Suman out of the way and blocked the blade with his left arm. The arm was red and wrinkly at the time...but in due time it would be black. Allen cried out in pain and Suman looked at him like he grew an extra head._

"_...why?" Was all the boy muttered. Both the gang member and the boy was stunned so Cross hopped in to restrain the man. Allen's arm was bleeding some sort of black blood. His tear-streaked face returned to Mana, who wasn't moving. _

"_...Mana..." Allen's tears came back full blast and he cried on Mana's chest while the people around him watched. Suman had taken a seat beside him and held onto him tightly while he cried. _

_After Mana's death, Allen and Suman had been sent to the hospital and roomed together. Suman and Allen would talk everyday for the past week. Allen had to have surgery on his arm and it ended up looking much better than the crinkly red arm it used to be. Suman would often thank Allen out of the blue for no reason. They were discharged two weeks later and said their goodbyes to each other, hoping that they'd meet again someday._

_Allen had actually forgotten all about the boy named Suman. _

"You look a bit more..." Allen stared at Suman for a long time. The last time he saw Suman he was fragile and had barely any muscle on him for being sixteen. Now Suman was twenty two and he was _a lot _more muscular. Suman laughed and rubbed Allen's shoulder affectionately.

"Yeah, I was almost in the situation as you when we first met but I was working for those blasted gang members." Suman informed and Allen smiled. He felt more comfortable around Suman since they went through the same thing and could understand each other.

"There he is!" Allen heard some random person shout. A group of guys strutted over to where Allen and Suman currently stood. They didn't seem to notice Suman standing there with protective eyes on the younger. He felt Allen stiffen up when they approached him.

"What's beansprout doing here, hm?" One of the men said, approaching Allen dangerously.

"Um..." Allen murmured, looking at his feet.

"You're not welcome here, freak!" Another one said and took another step towards the pair. Lavi was just coming back from the kitchen and Fou was coming back from the bathroom when she saw what was happening. She didn't question Suman's presence but she ran over and clocked the one approaching Allen hard in the face. The man flew straight past Lavi. Suman's jaw dropped and he started laughing. Allen blushed. Fou glared at the others.

"His name is Allen. Remember that." She said bitterly. They ran away like little pansies. Lavi dumbly walked over.

"What was that about?" Lavi asked, fearing Fou's answer.

"Your stupid friends were trying to pick on Allen again." Fou said, glaring at them.

"Again?" Lavi asked. Allen shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, what kind of game were you wanting to play?" Allen asked. Lavi instantly cheered up.

"Right! We need a couple of people anyways! Fou, Allen..." Lavi looked at Suman with a puzzled look on his face. Allen didn't normally let just anyone touch him upon meeting him and here the man was holding him protectively! Just who was that guy anyways? Lavi was a bit jealous but he didn't say anything about it. "Allen's friend...let's go! Lenalee and Kanda are waiting for us!" Suman let Allen go for the time being but he glared at anyone that gave Allen a wrong look. Fou did the same. Allen just felt like he had his own bodyguards.

On one side of the long table was Lenalee and Kanda with four open spaces where Allen guessed they had to go. On the other side was Daisya, Chaoji, Marie, Miranda, Krory, and Mimi. Allen knew them all from Lavi's Senior year and a couple of them were teachers who had quit their jobs (Miranda, Marie, and Krory) at the school he used to go to. Allen had a bad feeling about the cups filled up with a quarter of a yellow liquid. _Oh please don't tell me I have to drink that..._Allen thought, paling. Suman laughed at him and patted his head reassuringly. It wasn't that much beer, surely Allen could handle it. Allen figured that he should just have fun out of the whole thing. It was a party after all and he felt so secure now that Suman and Fou were on his side.

"Okay! The game is called 'Flip the Cup' or 'Flippy Cup'...whichever you want to call it is up to you. What's going to happen is that the first person of each row is going to drink their cup and then they have to flip the cup. If they can get the cup face down, then the next person gets to start drinking. You repeat those steps and the last person to flip the cup wins!" Lavi explained. "Any questions?" He asked at the end. Everyone shook their head. "Let's just hope that Lenalee's brother doesn't come to visit and rip our heads off." Lenalee giggled. "Okay, everyone line up!"

Everyone assorted themselves together. Lavi was going against Daisya, Kanda was going against Chaoji, Lenalee was going against Miranda, Suman was going against Marie, Fou was going against Krory, and Allen was going against Mimi...great. He already didn't like the girl—and it wasn't just because she was making out with Lavi either. It was more because she creeped him the hell out. That evil little smile looked even more than his whenever he played poker...and his smile was pretty evil the last time he checked.

"Ready? One...two...start!" Lavi shouted.

Him and Daisya chugged it like it was nothing. Allen could barely recall who Daisya was, but he did know that he was one of Lavi's good friends. He probably could've been his right hand man if Kanda hadn't existed. Lavi was the first to flip the cup and Kanda started drinking instantly. _How many times have they played this game?! _Allen thought incredulously. Lavi and Kanda were obviously making up for Lenalee's screw ups. She took little sips at a time and Miranda just looked like her clothes wanted it more than her mouth.

After Lenalee had finally finished it, she had to flip the cup a few times. Miranda was barely finishing hers when Suman had gulped it down like it was freaking water. Allen felt a bit out of place—but he didn't think he felt as out of place as Krory. Poor Krory looked like he was going to burst into tears. He was so focused on how behind the other side was when Fou punched him in the arm for him to drink. Allen blushed and took a sip.

He instantly scowled at the taste but drank it as quickly as he could so that he wouldn't have to bear the taste. Flipping the cup was harder than it looked. It just kept falling over and he started to get frustrated. Mimi sipped it a bit faster than Lenalee. She wasn't quick enough as Allen had finally gotten the cup to stay after the fourteenth time of it falling over. Lavi cheered and nudged Allen's hair with his fist. Allen tried to detach the hyperactive man but it wasn't working out too well.

"Okay! Let's play a different game!" Lavi dragged Allen off before Suman could congratulate him. Poor Suman. Lavi dragged Allen to different tables. There were two people at two different small tables facing each other. There was a wall up so that they couldn't see each others...board? It looked similar to battleships except there were small glasses of beer in the cups that resembled the ships.

"Battleship?" Allen questioned. He may have had a horrible childhood, but he at least knew what this game was. Suman actually played it with him when he was in the hospital to cheer him up. Suman actually played a lot of games with Allen; like Monopoly, Connect 4, and an oversized Checkers. The checkers were actually the size of dessert plates and the board was made up of a rug. Anyways, Lavi shook his head.

"Battleshots." He corrected. "I'll explain the rules later. The two looked up hearing the name of the game they were playing called. Allen blushed, realizing they heard their conversation and looked away. Allen guessed that they were more relatives of Tyki's since they had the same colored skin as well as Road and the twins.

The first one had black hair that ran past his chin and two white stripes near the end of his bangs. His eyes were golden just like all of theirs. His outfit was a bit weird and showed a lot of his skin...it looked sort of like something a girl would wear. There was a tight white strap just above his pelvis and his shorts were V'd to where you could see lines that often makes girls swoon depending on how fit the person was...and this guy was a bit fit. He had pads of black cloth around his elbows like protectors. Allen was pretty sure that his body would be cut off from oxygen if he had been wearing the outfit. Lavi supplied that his name was Tryde.

The other had short white hair as well as golden eyes they all shared. He was wearing a striped bandana on his head that went all the way down to his knees and he was pretty short...like, shorter than Fou. His nails were painted black and he was wearing something similar to Tryde but it showed even more and it was long sleeved. His baggy pants stopped at his ankles and the rim hugged above his ankle. He was wearing slip on shoes and what looked like some sort of snake birthmark slithered around his abdomen. Lavi supplied that his name was Wisely.

The two of them stopped playing to stare at Allen for a more-than-necessary long time before returning to the game and sharing equal looks with each other. Lavi eyed them suspiciously but didn't say anything. They had been playing for awhile before Allen felt two hands on his shoulders. He winced a bit but didn't fling himself away from the offenders. He did happen to see the twins standing there. He remembered what happened earlier that week at the restaurant and blushed, averting his gaze.

"Hey! You came after all!" Devit said, grinning. His brother, Tryde, looked over hearing his voice. Tryde could see his twin brothers eyeing Allen longingly but they didn't show it.

"Is it fun here, fun?" Jasdero asked more stupidly than his brother. Devit just had that sly grin on his face.

"You look mighty fine. You should wear things like this more often!" Allen blushed. Did his outfit really make that much of a difference? Tryde also saw that Lavi was eyeing his brother evilly.

"U-um..." Allen trailed off, not wanting to make eye contact. Why did his shyness have to come up now?! It could be because he was surrounded by everyone that he used to school with.

"There you are, Short Stack! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Fou suddenly popped up.

"Short Stack?" Devit asked, a bit confused. Did she mean beansprout?

"Oh hello, Fou. Where did you wander off to?" Allen asked in return.

"Where did _I _wander off to?! It was you who let yourself be dragged around by this idiot." Fou said, jerking her thumb over at Lavi. Allen chuckled at Lavi's pout face.

"So, what are you doing anyways? And who are these guys?" Fou asked, gesturing to the 'twins'.

"Oh...they...work at the mall. They're some of Tyki's relatives." Allen supplied. Fou eyed Devit.

"Yup, they're definitely his relatives. Do all of his relatives look so sexy?" Fou asked Allen as if he'd know. Allen face palmed. "Speaking of sexy~!" Fou said, winking at Tryde. Allen shook his head, smiling. Tryde raised his eyebrows but took the compliment. Fou looked at Wisely and gaped like a fish. "Dude! You've got white hair too! That's wicked! Look, Allen, it's your twin!" Allen rolled his eyes at her foolishness. "So yeah, why're you over here?" Fou asked, slinging her arm around Allen's waist, pushing the twins away from Allen like he was her property. Allen shrugged.

"It's just like you said, Lavi dragged me over here."

"Battleshots!" Lavi whined, gesturing to the table with his hands.

"I wonder what kind of drunk Allen is...?" Fou wondered aloud. Allen gave her a suspicious look. "Oh well, I guess we're going to find out, huh? Ooooh, I wonder if you're flirty." Fou had a gleam that Allen didn't like in her eyes.

"Do I want to know?" Allen asked.

"Probably not." She replied, smirking. Her hand lowered and squeezed Allen's butt playfully. Allen glared at her and she quit.

"Don't do that."

"Why~? Does it turn you on~?" She asked slyly. Allen blushed a deep crimson and pushed her away in embarrassment.

"This is why I don't take you places, Fou." Allen informed. Fou pouted.

"Awe...meanie! So hey, I came over here because we're all playing Seven Minutes In Heaven over yonder." Fou said, pointing over to where a bunch of people were gathered up in a circle.

"Seven Minutes In Heaven? What's that?" Allen asked. Everyone around him deadpanned at his question. Lavi burst out laughing.

"You wouldn't know something like that, would you?" He asked, laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Allen asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing~!" Lavi sang and dragged Allen and Fou over to the big circle. "I'll tell you in a minute. There are different rules each time I play though. It's up to whoever started the game first! So Fou, who started it?" Fou grinned. Allen felt a bit insecure from that grin. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yup! I'll explain the rules, Short Stack." Fou patted him on the head like a little puppy. Allen stared surprisingly at everyone who was in the circle. There were quite abundant of people. Suman, Lenalee, Krory, Miranda, Sachiko, Mimi, Tyki, Johnny, Marie, Chaoji, Daisya, Eliade, Lou Fa, and Lulubell—who was being fanned by Mimi. Lavi, Allen, the twins and Fou joined the circle. Kanda decided to not participate at this. Instead, he would be the one to spin the bottle.

"Uwah! It's that model guy!" Sachiko squealed, pointing at Allen. Allen blushed a rosy red color, muttering something incoherent. Fou laughed and Lavi gave Allen a 'wtf' look. Allen just shook his head.

"Alright! For those of you who don't know the basics of Seven Minutes In Heaven listen up! This is going to be more of my version! Kanda's the spinner. The person it lands on will have to go in the closet with the next person it lands on. The next person that it does land on will be stuck in the room with them and the lights will be turned off! The two people then have to continuously make out and do sexual things to each other for seven minutes! Oh, and one more thing. The smaller of the two will be blindfolded." She said, smirking. _Kinky..._most of the people in the circle thought.

Allen gaped like a fish...he tended to be doing that a lot lately. Miranda and Krory blushed and broke out into a sweat. Lenalee seemed a bit _too _happy to be involved in the game. Mimi, Sachiko, Tyki, and the twins were _staring _at Allen in a way that made him extremely uncomfortable. Eliade was smirking along with Daisya. Lou Fa was blushing a more red color than Allen...but not as much as Johnny. Marie just sat there, unmoving.

Allen honestly felt like backing out. He didn't feel comfortable with making out with anyone except for Lavi...which was a bit embarrassing to admit. And what were the chances of him actually getting to do that? Yeah, 1/16 chance and Allen _wasn't _a lucky person. How was Fou supposed to know that they were making out anyways? Then again, she probably probed the room with cameras. It sounded like something she would get Bak to do secretly.

"Oh, and one more thing. Be expected to make out with two _different _people. And I _will _know if you guys are making out or not. Don't test me." She said icily, sending shivers down everyone's spines. "Alright, Samurai-guy, spin it!" Kanda che'd at the nickname but spun the bottle anyways. Of course it had to land on him the first time. Allen blushed. "No backing out, Allen~!" Fou said in a sing-song voice. Allen blushed and looked away. "Jeez, you might as well put on the blindfold now. Everyone here is like taller than you. Except for me and Johnny boy but whatever. Spin it again!" Everyone seemed so intent on gazing at the bottle it was starting to scare him.

Of course it had to land on Lavi.

* * *

**I'm soooo evil to leave it off here xD. Suman isn't in many DGrayMan AU's so I felt like he needed an important part. Hahaha, man it's gonna be a pain to go back and delete all these AN's after I complete the story...meh, I think I'll just leave em here. Anyways, don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! I haven't gotten any voters in awhile :l If I get at least one more voter to vote, I'll try to update again tonight/tomorrow morning! No one seems to enjoy the anime Little Busters! XD It's actually a game and not very popular, but I totally ship Riki and Kyousuke together. They're so cute. They actually have a lot of hints of them getting together but whatevs. The reason I update so quickly anyways is because I _really _love writing this story. It's a lot of fun. But, I am feeling sick and I am a bit tired...c; Anyways, thanks to Usagi-Twins, Shirubagure, MintGreenn, Jazebeth (thank you for telling me, I fixed that mistake), Snipperita, ThatOneGingerKid, and the guest for reviewing! Still taking suggestions. OoOoOoh, who's going to be the other one making out with Allen besides Lavi? **


	17. Chapter 17

**Fou is a very disturbing and perverted person xD Aren't you all curious about what she gave Lavi for his birthday? C; Oh and Allen still has his bandages on if any of you were wondering. His shoulder doesn't heal til like a few days after the party. There were a lot of suggestions for who else would go in the room with Allen ._. I was kinda surprised...VoTe FoR ThE PoLL!**

* * *

Allen face palmed and Lavi sweat dropped.

"How do we always end up getting in these situations?" Lavi asked. Allen blushed, knowing that he'd have to put on a blindfold. Fou looked like she would have a nosebleed at any moment now. _So glad I installed those cameras in there..._she thought deviously and stood up.

"Do I really have to put the blindfold on?" Allen asked—more like muttered—blushing madly. Fou grinned and tied the cloth behind his eyes. More than just Fou were about to have nosebleeds. Mimi seemed a little ticked but she didn't say anything. "I don't like this, Fou..." Allen said, moving his head from side to side to see if the blindfold would fall off. Fou grabbed them both by the wrists and shoved them into a mysterious closet together. She felt so tempted to just go inside.

"Standing outside the door won't help you get in Fou." Lenalee said, laughing at the overprotective girl.

"Eh, I don't wanna go in." She said, shrugging and walking away. Lenalee raised her eyebrows. She would expect her to want to see if Lavi did anything reckless to Allen. She seemed completely fine with them going in though. Fou checked her watch and sighed, sitting down and waited. She couldn't wait to check out the film later though.

Meanwhile, in the closet...

Lavi couldn't help but laugh as Allen placed his hands on things around him to check out where he was. Hey, he was wearing a blindfold, it wasn't his fault! He narrowed his eyes and turned to Lavi to glare at him...it wasn't working out very well and just made Lavi laugh harder. Allen just crossed his arms and backed up into a wall to lean on. It didn't seem like Lavi was going to do anything since he was too busy laughing—not that Allen minded

…

Okay so he minded a little, but he didn't want to take too much advantage of the situation—it would only give his feelings away and Allen was sure they weren't mutual. His eyelashes bothered him as they rubbed against the cloth so he just closed his eyes and relaxed himself. He didn't expect himself to be this tired already. Maybe he could just take a five minute nap...while Lavi was in the room. Allen blushed, not hearing any noises emit from said red head. Was he watching him?

Lavi was indeed watching Allen very closely. He was watching how Allen's chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm as well as how his lips just slightly moved every time he released his breath in the air. Yeah, it was dark, but he could just make out Allen's figure if he was close enough. He tip toed closer. Allen didn't stir at all. He was supposed to be making out with him...and Fou said she _knew _if they were doing anything. She would be pretty pissed off if he didn't do something. Very slowly and quietly, Lavi pressed his lips against Allen's.

Allen froze up. Was he hallucinating, or was Lavi actually kissing him? He didn't expect him to do anything at all...Allen didn't push him away and nervously kissed him back. Their kiss sent jolts of electricity throughout their bodies. Lavi moved in front of Allen to get a better angle. Allen's heart started going on a rampage. He was kissing him because Fou said so...right? That' was just it...right? Allen didn't know what to do next but apparently Lavi did. Lavi nibbled on Allen's bottom lip and Allen blushed even brighter. Lavi must've seen it somehow because he chuckled.

Lavi held his arms out and brought Allen closer to him. Allen didn't know if he could blush any deeper but it certainly felt that way when Lavi's tongue made contact with his own. Why...why had it become so natural to kiss Lavi this way? Is it because they've made out twice in the past? And just what did Lavi think about all this? Everything was just a blur to Allen at the moment as he encircled his arms around Lavi's neck lovingly. He could barely control his own movements and it just felt like his body was moving on it's own.

Many questions roamed Allen's mind as they kissed. What was on Lavi's mind? Was Lavi drunk? Did Lavi know what he was doing like last time? What did Lavi look like right now? Could Lavi feel how warm Allen was because of his blush? Was Lavi's hand really rubbing his thigh or was he just hallucinating that feeling? It definitely felt like his hand was rubbing against his thigh. Allen didn't really care at the moment, he was so absorbed in what he was doing...was that bad? Was this bad? What did Lavi think of Allen? Did Lavi like him too?

Allen could feel a streak of saliva falling slowly down his face and blushed. His lips would be so red after this...and then he had to face everyone after this as well. Oh god now _that _will be embarrassing. Then again, they were forced to kiss each other...it was necessary...right? Would people judge him further for this? His thoughts were starting to disappear when he felt Lavi pull his waist so that they were closer together. Now he knew why it was called 'Seven Minutes In Heaven.' Allen definitely felt like he was in heaven right now. The way Lavi's lips corresponded with his, the way Lavi's hair just felt through his fingers, the way he could just warm Allen up without even trying...it was just crazy how in love Allen was with him. He only met him again—what? A month ago? And he was so close to Lavi too...falling even harder than he did in high school.

Love is crazy that way.

"Times up!" Fou shouted, knocking on the door.

Allen flinched and Lavi muttered something he couldn't quite hear. He let go of Allen and Allen did the same, turning his head as if he was looking away—not that it'd really help anyways. He missed Lavi's touch so much that he didn't even know why. They had only been making out for what? Seven minutes? And Lavi wasn't even his lover...it ached Allen's heart to know that all this was really just a game and that he would never get to be with Lavi for real. He could only hope that more chances like these would come along further down the road. He could only hope that Lavi would continue to be his friend until the end.

Allen and Lavi came out of the closet a couple minutes later. Allen had to makes sure that he had rid himself of the saliva that was on his face and that he wasn't blushing anymore. He also removed the blindfold as well. He looked over at Lavi...but his expression was just blank. _Had it been like that the whole time? _Allen wondered, his fist clenching around the blindfold tightly. _Remember, Allen...it's just a game. _Allen gave the blindfold back to Fou and she grinned at him. He didn't smile back and instead had a concentrated look on his face like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Lavi was definitely a puzzle.

"Okay, next! Spin it!" Fou declared. Kanda spun it and Allen became less interested in the game. It landed on Marie and Miranda. Would Fou actually blindfold Miranda? Marie himself was blind as it is...she did though and guided them both to the closet.

The next pairs came out as such: Miranda and Krory, Marie and Daisya, Krory and Eliade, Daisya and Chaoji, Chaoji and Johnny, Johnny and Suman, Suman and Fou, Fou and Lenalee, Lenalee and Mimi..._that _one had ended up in a mess. As it turns out, Lenalee and Mimi don't like each other. They looked like they had just stopped fighting after they came out glaring at each other. Lenalee and Sachiko, Sachiko and Lulubell, Lulubell and Mimi, Lou Fa and Eliade, Tyki and Lou Fa, Tyki and Jasdero, Jasdero and Devit...yes, they actually went along with that too. The last pairing up was Devit and Allen. Allen of course was blindfolded again.

"Please don't rape him." Fou muttered to Devit. Allen blushed brightly. Okay, _now _he chose to be nervous. This wasn't like making out with Lavi. Devit would be _much _different. He was almost as perverted as Fou and _that _was saying something.

Allen was surprised when Devit was actually quite rough with him. His lips were captured the moment they had gotten into the room and Devit had forced Allen up a wall. Allen could barely balance himself because Devit wasn't giving him any time. He was more messy than Lavi as he made out with Allen. It felt really wrong to Allen but of course he wouldn't say anything. Allen blushed whenever Devit had started nibbling at his ear. Devit licked from his ear to his neck.

Allen was _very _glad that the hickey Lavi had left was gone. If it was still there...that would bring up more than just _many _questions. Devit bent Allen's head back and attacked Allen's neck with his tongue. If it had been Lavi, Allen would feel pleasure and Love. But it was Devit...so it was more just pleasure and...wrong...he couldn't push him away though, that would be awkward. Allen could feel Devit slipping his shirt down past his right shoulder and sucked on where the sleeve would cover. _At least he's not making it in a noticeable place_. Allen thought grudgingly.

"Times up!" Fou knocked a bit too louder than before. Did this have something to do with it being Devit instead of Lavi? Allen didn't know. He mentally shrugged. Devit gave Allen's ear one last nibble and breathed hot air into his ear. Allen bit his lip awkwardly. Devit took it the wrong way and pecked him on the mouth. Devit exited the closet much faster than Allen...a bit proudly at that. He was grinning and it wasn't only Fou eyeing him suspiciously. Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda were as well. Jasdero was just giving him a thumbs up.

In the closet, Allen adjusted his sleeve and wiped away the places that Devit had trailed his tongue on his flesh. It didn't seem so heavenly anymore...all eyes were on Allen as he exited the closet and sat down. He looked up and noticed that Lavi instantly looked away...that hurt. It really did. Allen inwardly panicked. _Why did he do that?! Did I upset him somehow? Does he think I shouldn't have let Devit do those things to me? What did I do wrong? Oh, I hope he doesn't hate me..._the game was finally called off.

"Allen! We still have to play Battleshots~!" Lavi said, whining. Allen just slumped against the wall, still wondering why Lavi wouldn't look at him after he left the closet. Two could play at that game. Allen just shrugged and avoided Lavi's eyes. He could still feel the curious look on Lavi's face though. "Let's play a different game then!" Now interested, Allen turned to look at him.

"Like what?"

"I've Never!" Lavi exclaimed. Allen gave him an odd look.

"You've never what?" He asked. Lavi face palmed. He grabbed Allen's wrist and yanked him up on his feet. Allen was a bit dizzy. Lavi retrieved Suman, Fou, Lenalee, Daisya, and Kanda for this. They sat at a small table together that had seven empty cups at the table. Lavi brought over a few cans of beer and filled the cups up cheerfully. Fou was filling Allen in on the details of the game. Allen nodded his head. "Yeah, I think I've got it now."

"Awesome!" Lavi said as he plopped down next to Allen. "Okay, so whose gonna start here?"

"How about we go counter clockwise?" Lenalee suggested. Lavi nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, that's okay!" Lavi said, grinning. "Since you suggested it, Lenalee, you go first." Lenalee shrugged.

"Okay. I've never had a boyfriend." Everyone drank. They all looked at Kanda incredulously. Lenalee and Allen felt so left out. "Your turn Fou..." She muttered.

"I've never been told 'I love you'." She said simply as if that wasn't depressing. Allen felt left out again. Even _Lenalee _had someone say that to her. Everyone sent Allen and Fou a sympathetic look. Allen had a brilliant one in mind.

"I've never dyed my hair-"

"REALLY?!" Daisya asked, lunging across the table. Allen nodded.

"Everyone thinks I do for some reason..." Lavi and Daisya both took a drink. They trailed off on a long tale about their Senior prank but was interrupted by Fou so that they could keep playing the game. Lavi was next.

"I've never been kissed in the rain." Lavi said. No one drank at that and they all laughed.

"I've never passed out drunk." Kanda said more cockily than everyone else. Fou, Daisya, and Lavi took a drink.

"I've never enjoyed high school." Suman said. Fou laughed at the irony and took a drink. Of course Allen felt left out again. He felt kinda like he didn't fit.

"I've never had a stable family." Daisya said, elbowing Kanda in the...elbow with a wink. Fou and Suman were the only ones to take a drink.

"I've never 'done it'." Lenalee said. Lavi sent her an understanding look. Allen once again, felt left out. Though he was curious about Kanda...Fou just pinched his cheek and called him innocent.

"I've never had someone hit on me—and Allen you better be drinking that." Fou said after she finished her 'I've Never' statement. Allen grudgingly took a drink. He didn't like to think that someone had hit on him.

"I've never had no worries." Allen said. Which was true...he was such a worry-wart. Lavi, Daisya, Lenalee, and Kanda took a drink.

"I've never had my heart broken." Lavi said simply. Allen and Lenalee drank. Lavi gave Allen a curious look and Fou giggled since Lavi was the one to break Allen's heart.

"I've never gone a day without hurting someone." Kanda said matter-of-factly. Everyone drank and slightly inched away from him.

"I've never succeeded in a game of minesweeper." Suman said darkly. Lavi took a drink and everyone looked at him weirdly.

"What?" He asked. _He must be pretty freaking clever..._Allen thought.

"I've never told anyone I'm gay." Daisya said, shrugging. Everyone knew already...well except for the people he didn't know—which were Allen, Fou, and Suman. Allen had to take a drink at that. He'd admitted it plenty of times. Everyone stared at him.

"What?" It was his turn to ask. Fou coughed into her hand, laughing.

"I've never starved myself." Lavi said. Everyone but Allen took a drink. Fou couldn't help but burst into laughter because of Allen's confusion.

"Why would someone starve themselves?" He asked confusingly. They all just shook their heads at him.

"I've never been so in love with somebody." Kanda grumbled. Allen and Fou took a drink.

"I've never looked good in shorts." Suman said jokingly.

The game had to end there because Fou was trying to shove Allen's drink down his throat.

"Wow, what time is it?" Lavi asked, looking around for a clock. Everyone's dancing had been kept to a minimum because one, they were getting tired and two, most of them were drunk. So the music had also toned down to slow dancing.

"It's like...one or something." Fou muttered. Allen was starting to really get tired and he had a feeling it was because of the alcohol. "Hey Allen, you should do some karaoke!" She said, suddenly getting pumped up.

"Eh? You can sing, Allen?" Lenalee asked, a new gleam of respect in her eyes.

"A little..." Allen muttered. "I'm not singing though..."

"Why not?!" Lenalee whined.

"If I sing, will you sing?" Lavi asked. "I suck at singing by the way. Karaoke isn't even good anyways...c'mon! Just one song?" Lavi begged.

"One song...but you sing first." Allen mumbled tiredly. He was being shaken by Fou a few minutes later as she pointed at Lavi who was dumbly singing some odd song. The words just sounded jumbled up in Allen's head though. It must've been a funny song though because everyone started laughing at him. Oh well. Lavi finished and people had applauded him. They seemed to get in the mood of music now. Fou started dragging Allen to the karaoke machine. Some people whistled and cat called at him. Allen blushed. Fou grabbed the microphone to speak.

"So, you guys are probably tired, right?" She asked into the microphone. A couple laughs arose and there were a lot of heads nodding. "Okay then we'll probably need a slow song, huh?" Many people agreed. Fou began searching through the contents and her head perked up at a certain song. She thrust the microphone in Allen's hands and put the song on play.

Allen suddenly got very nervous as he saw Lavi's eyes on him. When he heard the song, he felt a bit of relief wash over him. He loved this song a lot and was usually passionate about it. It soothed his nerves at times too when he was younger. He had his lips close to the microphone and all nervousness was lost. How long had it been since he'd sang in front of a large group of people?

_Every time our eyes meet,_

_This feeling inside me,_

_Is almost more than I can take._

_Baby when you touch me,_

_I can feel how much you love me,_

_And it just blows me away._

As he sang just the first verses, the image of a certain red head came up in his mind. The song he sang right now reminded him so much of when he was so in love with Lavi and he had somewhat dedicated this song to him. Even now, the song seemed to frame Lavi and his relationship—even if it was one-sided, this song was important to Allen.

_I've never been this to anyone,_

_Or anything._

_I can hear your thoughts. _

_I can see your dreams._

_I don't know how you do what you do_

_I'm so in love with you._

_It just keeps getting better._

_I wanna spend the rest of my life,_

_With you by my side._

_Forever and ever..._

_Every little thing that you do,_

_Baby I'm amazed by you._

The people slow danced to his lyrics and he felt overjoyed that they weren't booing at him. They all looked so at peace with each other. And Lavi...Lavi was staring at him, amazed that Allen was this good at singing. He seemed to sway along with the beat and closed his eyes to listen to Allen's soft voice sing into the microphone. Allen just felt so relaxed now and it almost seemed that he would fall asleep on his feet.

_The smell of your skin,_

_The taste of your kiss,_

_The way you whisper in the dark._

_Your hair all around me,_

_Baby you surround me,_

_Touch every place in my heart._

_Oh it feels like the first time,_

_Every time._

_I wanna spend the whole night,_

_In your eyes._

Allen sang as if he was actually singing to Lavi himself—making Allen all the more passionate about the song. Some of the couples had stopped dancing just to watch him sing. He didn't even blush from all the attention. He just kept thinking about Lavi and every thing turned out okay. He couldn't even see all the people watching him when he opened his eyes. All he could see was Lavi laying against the doorway of the kitchen. That's all...and he was happy about it—even if Lavi didn't notice that Allen was singing about him. But it would probably be a bit embarrassing if Lavi did know.

_I don't know how you do what you do,_

_I'm so in love with you._

_It just keeps getting better._

_I wanna spend the rest of my life,_

_With you by my side._

_Forever and ever..._

_Every little thing that you do,_

_Baby I'm amazed by you. _

_Every little thing that you do,_

_I'm so in love with you._

_It just keeps getting better._

_I wanna spend the rest of my life, _

_with you by my side._

_Forever and ever..._

_Every little thing that you do..._

_Every little thing that you do..._

_Baby I'm amazed by you._

Allen sang the last line in the most softest voice yet and everyone—who was still dancing—slowed to a stop and started clapping. Allen was brought back to reality and blushed. Some people had even started shouting for an encore. Allen didn't know if he could take another song though. As he was leaving the center of the karaoke machine, he noticed that Lavi had disappeared. He couldn't explain how he felt at that moment.

It was just heartbreaking.

Lavi hadn't stayed to listen to the last verses of the song...but what did that mean? Allen didn't know and—at the moment—he didn't care. He just felt so depressed that Lavi didn't stay. _I don't think he noticed that I was singing about him...then why would he leave? Maybe he was just getting a drink? Oh, look at me, now I'm making up excuses...get a hold of yourself Allen! _Allen thought bitterly. He was confronted by Fou and she just seemed joyful. Allen wasn't in the mood now. He just wanted to go home now.

They walked into the kitchen and Allen saw Lavi kissing some random girl. He didn't express how much heartbreak he was feeling at the moment. He simply leaned against the wall glumly. Fou left saying she had to use the bathroom again. She did however catch the glum look on Allen's face. Suman happened to be looking for him at the moment and finally found him when he was thirsty and left for the kitchen. He sat himself right next to Allen and frowned at the glum look on Allen's face.

"Allen...what's with that look?" Suman asked, ruffling his hair. Allen shrugged. "Bored? We can play a game if ya want?" Allen perked up at the sound of a game.

"What kinda game?" He asked curiously. Suman smiled at him.

"I dunno. Anything I guess. I tried looking to see if they had chess here, but they don't." Suman said, shrugging. Allen sweat dropped.

"You really like chess, don't you?" Suman nodded at Allen's question. Allen looked away from Suman for a minute and just looked glum again.

"Stop looking like that...or else." Suman threatened.

"Or else what?" Allen asked blankly. Suman lunged at him and started moving his fingers on Allen's sides, knowing that he was ticklish. "Ahh! Stop it, stop it! Hahahaha!" Allen laughed, trying to get Suman to quit. The laughter had reached Lavi's ears and the girl walked off, dissatisfied with the lack of attention. Lavi felt a certain bubble of jealousy rise within him. "Suman—hahaha—quit it! Hahaha!" Suman smiled and retreated. Allen wiped a tear away from his eye and smiled.

"Feel better?" Suman asked, smiling. Allen punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"How many times have I told you not to do that?" Allen asked. Suman shrugged.

"So, do you have an idea for a game yet?" He asked. Allen placed a finger on his chin before an imaginary light bulb went off above his head.

"How about Poker?" Allen asked. Suman paled at Allen's grin and held his hands up protectively in front of him.

"How about no?" He asked back. Allen laughed, remembering the same way Suman had paled in the hospital after Allen had beaten him several times—even without cheating. The guy had worse luck than Allen did.

"Okay, okay, then what do you want to play?" Allen asked. He yawned and rubbed at his eye. "I'm actually getting a bit tired, so I think I'll probably just head home."

"Yeah, it is late...well, I guess I'll see you later then. If you're ever feeling down, don't be afraid to call me sometime, okay?" Suman said, slipping a slip of paper in Allen's hands. Allen nodded and put the paper in his pocket, already knowing that it was Suman's number. Allen waved goodbye to his old friend and was later confronted by Lavi.

"Say, Allen, who is Suman anyways?" Lavi asked from behind Allen, making him jump a little.

"He's an old friend really." Allen answered honestly.

"How did you two meet?" Lavi asked. Allen opened his mouth but quickly closed it. He averted his gaze away from Lavi and looked severely uncomfortable.

"I don't want to talk about that..." Allen muttered. Lavi frowned at his hesitance. Weren't they friends?

"Why not?" Lavi asked.

"It's a sensitive topic, Lavi." Allen muttered so quietly that Lavi almost didn't hear it. Lavi sighed. _I'll just have to get closer to him before he'll be able to tell me, huh? He's so mysterious..._Lavi thought. Allen stretched and patted Lavi's shoulder. "Well, I'm going to leave now Lavi. Goodnight."

"Be careful Allen. Knowing you, you'd probably end up getting lost while walking across the yard." Lavi said jokingly. Allen elbowed him. "Oof..." Allen left the house with Fou and she 'made sure to help him get home safely'. Allen felt exhausted when he finally got upstairs and into his bedroom. As soon as he fell down on the bed, he realized something that he couldn't really believe.

That party was a lot of fun.

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**The song I used was Amazed by Lonestar. It's a pretty old song, but whatever it's very cute. I'm just always thinking of Lavi and Allen together when I hear that song. I was originally thinking Everywhere by Michelle Branch, but that song wasn't as slow...****and it was sung by a girl—not that it would really matter though...suggestions are still welcome! And of course...VoTe FoR ThE PoLL C: Thanks to Shirubagure, Jazebeth, Usagi-Twins, ellarockabella, ankhesenamun2, MintGreenn, midnightstardust, the3leonine, and the guest for reviewing.**


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter was so fun to write! I don't even really know what to say except: VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! The reason I haven't added any choices is because for the people who have already voted, I didn't want them to feel left out :L Sorry for all the Laven choices if that is a bit of a problem. But you've got to admit, there aren't very many Laven stories out there and I ship the pairing so hard xD**

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It was around one in the afternoon when Fou woke up with a huge headache. She didn't hear any noises from the rest of the house so she was guessing that Allen was still sleeping. She wished she could sleep in so late...it was a good thing Allen didn't have to work today. He probably wouldn't even get up and would choose to be fired over that. Fou groaned and got out of bed, noticing Bak's disappearance. He was kind enough to leave a small note for her...but Fou probably would've kicked his ass if he didn't leave her a note. Fou picked up the crumpled piece of paper and read it with pained, narrowed eyes.

_Dear Fou, _

_I went out to go see if I could find myself a job. We need to start gathering up some funds so that we can move out. I don't want to be much of a burden to Allen, he is an adult after all and he's working hard to pay for himself and us as well. While I'm out, please decide over what kind of house you want us to buy or rent-be it small or large, I don't care. Also, think about what kind of career you'd like to pursue. I myself am thinking about being employed at Black Order University down the road from here. It seems as if they have many open spots because of the news they heard about the teachers quitting at Black Order High School...perhaps they are scared? Well, make sure you eat a good breakfast! _

_Bak._

"Tch, whose he to tell me what to do? That bastard..." Fou said angrily, though the blush on her face said much about how false her angry tone actually was.

Fou grabbed some random clothes and headed upstairs for the shower. Bak did have a point though. Allen was being nice enough to give them shelter so she should at least help out a little-even if it's paying some of his bills. She turned the water on hot and it gradually made her headache die down a lot. After washing her body and hair thoroughly, she got out of the shower and peeked in on Allen. He looked a bit flushed and Fou felt his forehead to make sure he was okay. He didn't feel okay. _Jeez, what's with this kid and getting sick all the time? _Fou thought and walked around his bed to turn the fan on and point it at him. She walked out of the room with a towel over her head, rubbing the towel effectively on her head.

Fou walked downstairs and poured herself a bowl of Lucky Charms. She ate all the wheat cereal pieces before gobbling down the marshmallows last. After gulping down the milk with a couple of pain relievers, she rinsed the bowl in the sink and just stood there. What was she supposed to do now? As if fate was trying to answer her question, the doorbell rang. She walked over and opened the door to see Lavi waving at her. She let him, Lenalee, and Kanda in before questioning their sudden appearance.

"What do you guys want?" She asked a bit rudely.

"Where's Allen at? It's like two in the afternoon!" Lavi asked.

"I think he's sick again but I'm not sure. He's in bed sleeping right now." Fou informed. Lavi groaned loudly and Lenalee rolled her eyes. Kanda che'd and sat himself on one of Allen's couches.

"Awe, I wanted to go to the mall today! It was so much fun last time!" Lavi whined. "Lenalee didn't get to come with us and Kanda's just being a sour puss right now." Lavi continued on with his rant. Fou wasn't even listening but she did find it quite comical when Kanda started shoving death threats his way. There was another ring of the doorbell and Fou walked over to the door yet again and yanked it open to reveal Neah with his hands full of boxes. He was grinning quite widely that it started to creep her out.

"Sup, Neah? What's with all those boxes?" Fou asked, grabbing some so he wouldn't drown himself in them once they fell over. Neah thanked her shortly before asking his own question.

"Where's Allen?"

"In bed." They all replied together. Neah nodded and placed the boxes down on the living room floor. Fou followed his example and set them side by side.

"What's with all the boxes?" Lavi asked curiously before moving a cardboard flap to see what was inside. He was greeted by many videotapes with labels on the sides that indicated dates. His curiosity had more than just escalated. He felt excited.

"They're videotapes that Mana and I recorded when Allen was little." Neah said as he picked the first one of the series up. Fou jumped up and down with excitement and clapped her hands.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! You mean when Allen had brown hair?! I wanna see! I wanna see! Put one in!" She exclaimed excitedly. They had never seen her so excited before...Neah nodded and put one in Allen's VCR. He quickly turned it down, remembering what he first recorded. Allen was sitting across from a Christmas tree, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. Something he normally did when he was either angry or pouting.

"Wha? But Allen said he never dyed his hair..." Lenalee said, now extremely interested into the video. Fou shook her head.

"He didn't. Just watch and don't interrupt."

"Allen~, look over here~!" Neah said, encouraging said brunette boy to look over. Allen didn't show any signs of even hearing him.

"Allen, what's with that look?" A softer voice asked and walked over to the boy, kneeling in front of him. Everyone could already guess that this was the infamous Mana. "Is it because you don't know how old you are?" Allen only seemed to swell larger at that question.

"I know old am I!" Allen said. Lavi just stared at the screen blankly.

"What?" Lavi asked. Neah chuckled.

"Ah, Allen probably never told you guys...we actually found him on the streets and well...he wasn't educated very well." Neah supplied.

"YOU FOUND HIM ON THE STREETS?!" Lenalee and Lavi shouted at the same time. Neah gave them a puzzled look before nodding his head slowly. Fou hit them both over the head for interrupting the video. In the video, Neah was laughing at Allen's bad grammar.

"Allen. It's 'I know how old I am.'" Mana corrected. "And how old are you?" Mana asked him. The little Allen opened his mouth before snapping it shut and looking away, blushing. "Do you-"

"Four and four!" He said, puffing out his cheeks. Neah just laughed harder.

"You mean eight?" Mana asked. Allen's blush deepened. He grabbed a random vase and chucked it at the camera. The video had actually spazzed out for a minute before switching to another scene. They could all see Neah rubbing his head in the corner of their eyes from the phantom pain. Fou paused it.

"Did he seriously chuck a vase at you?" Lenalee asked. Neah nodded, still rubbing his head.

"He wasn't all that polite back then..." Neah muttered. Fou played the video again.

"Allen! Aren't you excited? We're at the park!" Neah exclaimed. The cameraman must have been Mana this time. Neah was ruffling Allen's hair. Allen was wearing a large green mitten on his left hand and he looked very disgruntled as he frowned.

"Ducks." He said simply, pointing to all the ducks around him. They were in the pond section of the park.

"Yes, those are ducks." Neah said. Lavi laughed at that. Allen was afraid Neah would make fun of him since he couldn't say a full sentence correctly. He did mumble something and bit into a chicken salad sandwich he was eating. They saw a large white duck slowly waddling over to where Allen was standing and holding Neah's hand. Allen noticed the duck and gave him a hard glare. The duck waddled away like his life depended on it. You could hear Mana chuckling in the background.

"Don't like ducks." Allen mumbled.

"Why don't you like ducks, Allen?" Neah asked as if it wasn't the most obvious thing ever.

"Eat my food. Stupid ducks. Mean."

Everyone in the room started laughing (except Kanda). They all knew how much Allen loved food and this made complete sense, but it was just so cute to see him say that-even being so young he's loved food. Neah laughed and ruffled Allen's hair.

"Don't worry, Allen, if they eat your food, we'll just get you more." Neah reassured. Allen hmphed and looked away. The video once again spazzed and changed. This time they were in the kitchen. Neah was videotaping this time and you could hear him laughing his lungs out. They were all in the kitchen. Mana's look of shock was just so funny it was ridiculous.

Allen had been baking cookies.

They weren't bad for an eight year old and Allen had been working on perfecting them all night...meaning that if a batch was horrible, he threw it on the floor and tried making a new batch. There had probably been about six batches on the floor. There was flour everywhere, including in Allen's hair, and there was melted chocolate all over the counters too. Allen was currently sitting on the floor up against the oven, waiting for his next batch to come out-hopefully as perfect as he wanted. Eggshells, yolks, milk, and other contents were displayed among the kitchen in an odd art. Allen was wearing an apron that was much too big for him and had chocolate written all over his face.

"What...?" Mana muttered. Allen just sat there, staring at the two brothers with his head tilted. "Allen...what happened here?"

"Cookies!" Allen exclaimed, jumping up. He ended up slipping on milk and falling flat on his face. Kanda actually chuckled at that while everyone laughed. Allen laid there for a minute before picking himself up and wiping the cookie dough off his now-red face.

"Allen...you...I could've made the cookies for you...do you see the big mess you made?" Mana asked, gesturing to the kitchen around him. Allen's face suddenly crinkled up and he looked a bit scared but had a pout on his face.

"D-did I...do bad?" Allen asked, tears slowly making their way into his eyes. Mana's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. He started walking over to Allen and ended up slipping on a large puddle of yolks and face planted the floor like Allen had done earlier. Neah was doubling over by now, the camera was actually shaking. Allen's face broke out into a wide grin and he started giggling madly. "Mana fell!" He said, pointing at Mana and laughing. Mana grabbed some cookie dough that was on the floor and shoved it into Allen's face. Allen scowled and took a handful of flour and threw it at him. The flour ended up spreading out and covering them both.

"Why you little runt!" Mana grumbled.

An all out kitchen warfare begun after Mana threw an eggshell at Allen. Neah just stood there recording the entire fight and the kitchen became twenty times more messy than ever. The oven beeped, signaling the end of their war and Allen jumped up excitedly and grabbed the hot pan with his left hand since it already had a mitten over it. He stood on his tip toes after placing the pan down on the counter and grabbed one of the cookies. He took a bite out of it and seemed a bit dissatisfied with it. Just as he was about to throw it on the floor like all the others, Mana stopped him.

"Allen, don't waste food!" Mana said, grabbing the pan out of Allen's hands, wincing a bit because of the high temperature. He put the pan back on the counter and Allen made a face at him.

"Not good." Allen said, crossing his arms. Mana grabbed one of the cookies and warily bit into one, expecting a bitter taste. He was immensely relieved when the cookie tasted like it had actually come fresh out of a famous bakery.

"What are you talking about, Allen? These cookies are delicious!" Mana exclaimed. Allen blinked at him.

"Not good 'nough." Allen said stubbornly.

"You're just picky." Mana said, patting his head. He looked around the kitchen and sighed before putting the cookie on the counter-an area that wasn't covered in chocolate. "Look at this big mess." Mana complained. He looked at the camera (Neah) and gave him a disapproving look.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not the one acting like a five year old!" Neah exclaimed. Allen waddled over to Neah and kicked him in the shin. "OW! MY SHIN! WHAT THE HELL-"

"NEAH!" Mana roared.

"-HECK ALLEN?!" Neah finished, correcting himself. Allen ran behind Mana and hid behind his leg.

"He said hell." Allen muttered. Mana glared at Neah.

"Don't say that Allen. That's a mean word." Mana told him.

"But Neah said it..."

"Neah is a bad boy." Mana told him.

"No, I'm an adult!" Neah corrected childishly.

"Mana? Do I say hell when I'm an adult?" Allen asked. Mana covered his face with his hand and dragged it down.

"No, Allen. You can't say...that word, okay?"

"Why not? Neah said it and he said-" Allen started but Mana cut him off.

"Yes, Neah did say it; and you want to know what happens when people say mean words?" Mana asked, an evil gleam in his eye. They all heard Neah mutter an 'uh oh' under his breath. Allen nodded his head slowly, too curious for his own good. The camera spazzed out to another scene where Allen was sitting on the messy counter, kicking his legs and watching Neah as he scrubbed the floor. Neah glared at the camera (Mana).

"Neah's a bad boy, Neah's a bad boy!" Allen chanted, kicking his legs against the counter, provoking the man. Neah glared at Allen and stopped scrubbing. Allen jumped down and ran over to hid behind a chair. "Neah's very bad." He whispered. Everyone in the room laughed.

Allen was so cute.

After that, they kept watching more and more videos of when Allen was younger. But the most embarrassing one came on whenever Allen had just woke up with a migraine and started downstairs. Neah-being the cruel one of the trio-decided to videotape Allen when he had to get a shot since he was bitten by a mysterious animal. He looked joyful for most of the ride until they stopped at the hospital. Allen, remembering their last hospital trip to get his blood drawn, paled and started freaking out.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! I DON'T WANT TO!" He cried, pounding his fists on Mana's chest when he leaned in to get him out of his car seat. Mana unbuckled him and his temper tantrum just increased. The whole room was filled with laughter. Kanda was actually smirking at how helpless Allen seemed. "LET GO OF ME YOU TRAITOR!" Allen cried, kicking and screaming.

"Allen, calm down, it's just a tiny poke." Mana said, trying to rub the boy's back so he would calm down. Mana glared at the camera (Neah). "Neah, help me!"

"Allen~, if you calm down I'll take you out to eat~!" Neah bargained. Allen instantly stopped crying and stared at Neah with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Weally?" (Really?) He asked in a baby voice.

"Yes, really." Neah said, sighing, knowing that he'll regret it later. Allen stuck his thumb in his mouth as Mana picked him up. There were still tears in his eyes, but he didn't wail anymore.

"He's such a baby, it's cute!" Fou said, giggling. Lenalee agreed full heartily. The last video on the tape played.

It was the most embarrassing thing ever.

Allen was clutching onto Mana's leg as Mana and Neah were walking into a public pool. Allen hadn't let go of his father's leg for a second, even after Mana had finished placing their supplies down. Mana looked down at Allen and ruffled his hair, smiling. Neah just found the whole thing adorable. He just thought Allen was clinging to Mana's leg because they were in public and Allen was scared of people. That, however, wasn't really the case. The only reason Allen had held onto Mana's leg the whole time was a different reason:

Allen couldn't swim.

"C'mon, Allen, don't you want to go swimming? Neah and I would like to go in sometime." Mana said. Allen's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. Mana picked Allen up and led him over to the kiddy pool. Allen was shorter than the rest of the kids though so it would still be considered deep for him. Mana put him down in front of the pond of clear water and Allen ran behind Mana's leg, terrified. "What's wrong, Allen?"

"Is he afraid of the water?" Neah asked. Mana just shrugged. A little girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes came running over to him and dragged him towards the water. Allen had a total freak out moment and wailed at the top of his lungs. The girl let go of him in shock and he ran all the way back over to Mana.

"Allen! That was rude!" Mana scolded. Allen didn't say anything but there were tears in his eyes and he started sucking on his thumb again. "What's-" The question was cut off and the TV screen went black. They were all confused, including Neah. He knew the video didn't stop there.

They all turned to see a _very _pissed off looking Allen with the TV cord in his hands.

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**Poor Allen is embarrassed and ticked off. I would be too if I were him xD Well, don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL for those who haven't voted yet! For those 13 who have, thank you very much! The story that gets the most votes will be the first to go up whenever I finish one of my stories (probably this one since my inspiration for FMA is kinda dead for a little bit...) Thanks to Shirubagure, ankhesenamun2, MintGreenn, and Jazebeth for reviewing!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow. Almost to twenty! Yeah...I didn't update so early today because I went out with my mom and sister today and we went to the park with bread and the ducks chased us around for a little while. I've got some pictures on DeviantART of them :3 We also went to a lot of stores, and the mall. They had swimsuits on sale and mom wanted to buy them for next year. We also took pictures in one of those booths and it was very...squishy...I was only serious in one of the pictures xD I looked around for some boots for my Allen cosplay but :l they costed a lot...so yeah...and then I got distracted watching One Piece...so yeah...that's how my day was. I'm already exhausted but I have to finish up some homework after this! So tiring...anyways, don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! Laven Mental Ward is still winning ._.**

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"What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing. Neah?" Allen asked, taking a menacing step with each word he spat out. Neah looked _really _nervous and was backing away very slowly. He ended up bumping into the wall.

"Now, now, Allen, there's nothing to get upset about...I was just showing them some...er...videos..." Neah said in a reasoning voice to get Allen to calm down. It wasn't working out very well.

"Oh, Allen, don't blow your gasket! I personally thought it was cute!" Fou said, giggling. He blushed but didn't drop his glare.

"...are you really afraid of swimming?" Lavi asked. Allen let out an infuriated shout and ran at Lavi full of anger. Lavi squeaked and stumbled away from the angered teen. He truly looked ticked off. Maybe Lavi shouldn't have said that. Neah sighed with relief, glad that it wasn't him being chased around by the embarrassed teen. Lenalee had to hold Allen back to prevent him from murdering the red head.

"Come on, Allen, calm down. Fou's right, it wasn't really that bad. I thought it was cute too!" Lenalee said, trying to help. Allen glared at her. He didn't like being called cute, Fou of all people should know that! Kanda appeared behind Lenalee and hit Allen over the back of his head and fall to the floor lifelessly.

Kanda seriously just knocked him out.

Fou and Neah screamed. Fou with anger and Neah with panic. It was Fou's turn to be held back by Lenalee so she wouldn't murder Kanda for laying a finger on Allen's pretty head. _I'm going to mess him up so bad! _She thought angrily. Neah was surprised at how devoted and close Allen and Fou's relationship was. Lavi just started poking the unconscious boy on the cheek. He let out a long whistle and shook his head disapprovingly at Kanda. Lenalee gave Kanda a scolding look.

"He's out cold." Lavi told them.

"Kanda! You bastard! I'm going to kill you!" Fou screeched. Kanda just che'd and crossed his arms, looking away from her. She snarled at him.

"Now, now, Fou, calm down. I'm sure Allen's fine..." Neah tried reassuring. Fou just glared at him.

"I dunno about that Neah...last time Kanda did that he didn't remember anything but the night before." Lavi said. He was crouching next to Allen's form and poking him in the face. Something clicked in Fou's head.

"Really? Allen told me something about that! So wait...then what happened?" She asked. She had definitely calmed down a lot and Lenalee was relieved that she could let the hot head go now.

"Oh...right...um...well...you see..." Lavi mumbled, rubbing his jaw like he could feel the pain as he spoke. "I was attempting to apologize to Allen about what happened...and...after failing many times I decided to just take him down and hold him still...he punched me in the jaw...and then Kanda knocked him out...and he couldn't remember anything." Fou sat there and stared at Lavi for a long time.

"He _punched _you in the jaw?!" She asked before she burst into a fit of laughter/

"Yup! The bruise didn't go away for probably about two weeks." Lavi said, nodding his head.

"That's so funny! The kid wouldn't ever lay a hand on someone and he ended up punching _you? _That's just too funny!" Fou cackled.

"It really surprised me. I didn't know he could pack a punch that hard." Lavi said.

"Are we just going to leave him on the floor like that, because that looked _really _uncomfortable." Lenalee said, gesturing to Allen with her head. Fou crawled over and poked him like Lavi had done before.

"Yeah, he's probably going to have a really bad headache now." Fou said, glaring at Kanda. Kanda didn't notice...or he pretended not to...Fou slumped Allen over her shoulder and dropped him on the couch where Kanda happened to be sitting. Kanda's glare intensified when he saw Allen's feet on his lap. He moved his glare to the orange-haired girl. She gave him a warning look that said: _try anything and I'll kick your ass! _Kanda che'd at her look and tried his best to ignore the slight weight on his legs.

"So, like, can we keep watching those videos?" Fou asked, completely off topic. Neah nodded and looked at his watch.

"Go right on ahead, I have to leave now. I was just going to leave those here for him anyways though I doubt he'll watch them." Neah informed them and started looking through the last box for a certain tape. The tape was labeled: DMD 12-25..._A Christmas film perhaps? _Lavi thought. "However, this one is an exception. I don't know how it got into that box..." Neah said, giving the box a suspicious look. This had gotten Lavi interested. What had made that certain tape so different from all the others?

"What's that?" Lavi asked, pointing at the tape curiously. Neah looked at the tape itself before hiding it behind his back.

"Um...that's a secret." Neah mumbled. "I don't know why I have it...maybe it was mixed up when Cross came over...I should return this. Listen to me though you guys..." Neah said, his voice suddenly becoming serious as he pointed at the label he was just hiding behind his back a few seconds ago. He pointed to the MD part of the tape. "If you _ever _see these two letters on a label, whatever you do, _don't _watch it, okay? You have to promise me you won't alright?" Lavi just frowned at him. Everyone else besides him nodded slowly. Neah sighed and walked out of the house. He hopped into his car and drove off. Awkward silence filled the room.

"Well then...shall we continue?" Fou asked. Lenalee nodded quickly and excitedly.

Soon enough, they were halfway done and Allen-thankfully-hadn't woken up yet. It was a miracle he didn't, for he truly would've been pissed if he caught them watching the videotapes. Lavi would be embarrassed too if he was Allen. It was hard to believe that Allen used to be a tough, mean-looking, harsh kid that almost seemed like he hated life. But gradually, through the videos, you could tell that he was warming up to Mana and Neah and even the other children he played with. He always had that green mitten on though, but Lavi didn't blame him. Allen had it worse than he did...

"Wow, is it really five o' clock already? I hope Allen's okay...he's still out like a light. So, whose up for some cooking time with Fou? I need the help! I wonder where Bak is..." She muttered the last part to herself but shook her head. "Let's see...I need Kanda because he's Japanese and Lenalee because she's Chinese...Lavi...you just stay here and watch over Allen."

"Isn't that kinda racist?" Lavi asked. Fou shrugged.

"Japanese and Chinese food are always better than American food. They should at least know _one _dish. Right guys?" She gave them a strained smile. Neither of them wanted to disagree with her so they just nodded their heads. Kanda really just wanted to get Allen's feet off his lap. That was the main reason he had been acting like a sour puss the whole time. _Nobody _just propped their feet up on _his _lap and got away with it.

They all left Lavi and Allen alone in the room. Allen was snoozing away and didn't show any sign of waking up. Lavi shrugged and started looking through the next box of videos. He fingered through the tapes and stopped when he saw a certain label: AMD 12-28. Lavi bit his lip. He was just _so _curious! He never agreed that he wouldn't watch them...his heart pounded in his chest and he really wanted to put the video in. But why would Neah warn them about it? And what did MD even stand for anyways? Lavi knew he was peeping his nose in where it didn't belong, but he couldn't help himself. He remembered seeing an old TV downstairs in the basement...

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go like do something." Lavi said vaguely.

"How about you make yourself useful and do some laundry downstairs!" Fou demanded.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Lavi hurriedly grabbed the video and ran downstairs. He turned the light on and looked around until he found the washer and dryer over to the left. He walked over and set the videotape down. He picked up a white basket and unloaded the dryer.

After putting the white basket in front of the old TV, he ran over and grabbed the videotape and put it in the TV, quickly turning down the volume. He knew he shouldn't be doing this...but his curiosity was just too much to handle. The video was more clear than a usual video camera and Lavi noticed the format right away. _This was recorded through a microchip camera..._He thought. The voices muffled until the camera adapted to the environment it was in. It was a completely white room and Lavi instantly identified it as a hospital. The muffled voices became quite clearer. Lavi could tell one of them was Cross, and the other must have been a doctor of sorts.

In the video, there were two figures in bed. One was sitting up, hugging their knees, and the other was laying down in bed. Lavi recognized the one sitting up as Allen. His hair was white and the left side of his face and his forehead was completely covered in bandages. There was also a bandage around his left arm and neck and a small gauze pad on his right cheek. _What the hell happened to him? _Lavi wondered. Did the event that happened have something to do with Mana and Neah? And who was the other occupant in the room? These questions would be answered in due time. Lavi could just barely hear the voices since the volume was turned down.

"How is he?" Cross' voice was muffled from another room.

"He just woke up today. He was out for three days from shock of the incident. His hair had turned a pure white color from what we guess is shock. There's no other way of it happening." The professional voice said.

"I see...how is he taking the death?" Cross asked.

By the looks of it, Allen wasn't taking it very well. His eyes were dulled and he just looked completely lifeless in Lavi's opinion. His skin color was a sickly pale and there was a dark bag under his right eye and Lavi was sure that if his left eye wasn't bandaged, there would be a dark bag under that one too. He didn't hear the doctor reply so he guessed that he was shaking his head-but that was just Lavi's guess.

"The boy's uncle?" Cross asked.

"He disappeared." The doctor replied.

"I see." Cross said. The door opened and the doctor came walking in and Cross had followed behind him. They both stopped beside Allen's bed. Allen didn't even bat an eyelash at them. He just stayed still. Cross sighed and sat down beside Allen. "Yo, kid, you alive?" Cross asked bluntly. The doctor seemed appalled but left the two to their 'privacy' they didn't have because of the camera. Allen didn't respond. Cross took a long drag out of his cigarette and blew it elsewhere. "He's dead. You know that, don't you?" Cross stated. Allen still didn't respond, but you could see his eyes watering up. "How long are you going to act like this? Didn't he tell you to keep moving forward? To keep walking no matter what?"

"Stop..." Allen muttered hoarsely and buried his face into his knees.

Allen was in so much pain, and not just physically, but mentally as well. He had just lost his father (not that Lavi knew that) and here Cross was bluntly telling him something he already knew! Cross truly was an ignorant cruel man. Why did he have to put Allen through so much. Lavi was just confused. Cross had only said 'He's dead.' but he didn't say _who. _Who could've died that it led Allen to be in so much shock for three days straight and his hair to turn white? And what was with the bandages on Allen's face? Lavi was so confused and his curiosity was booming right now. Lavi's mind was working gears as he folded the clothes in the laundry basket.

_This is three days after Christmas day...but what does Christmas have anything to do with this? Ah! This is so confusing! AMD...AMD...AMD...none of that rings any bells in my head! Why can't I just...hmm...D...could that stand for Death? But then what about the AM? AM usually means morning...but this isn't the morning after whoever died, it's three days after...ugh, why did they have to initial this? AM...AM...AM...this is really starting to make my head hurt. If I only knew who had died I might be able to figure this out...the only people I can think of that was important to Allen was Mana, Neah, and Cross...that's it! The M in this has to stand for Mana! So...is this what Allen looked like after Mana's death? So that must mean that the A means after. So AMD means After Mana's Death! I'm so smart..._Lavi smirked to himself. He frowned and got serious. _I understand how terrible Allen feels...but does he really have to look so...defeated?_

"It's okay to cry, you know." Cross mumbled. Allen's eyes widened and he looked at Cross. Cross didn't look at him but just blew smoke out of his mouth and sighed. "It only proves that you're human. It must hurt a lot, I'm sure." Cross said to him. "You can talk to me about it, I won't say anything." Allen looked back at his knees and hugged them tighter. He buried his face again.

"He was..." Allen's childish voice spoke. "...the first one who actually accepted me..." Allen mumbled. "...before him...no one...they all looked at me like I...I was some kind of monster...I don't know what I had done...I...I didn't even...I had started to wish I had never been born when he came along...and then he...he didn't stare at me like everyone else-Neah too. But...Neah's gone now, isn't he? ...I...I don't want everyone to start looking at me like that again...I...I don't want to be alone..." Allen's voice cracked and he stopped there. Lavi could feel his throat squeezing tightly.

_Oh Allen..._

"You know, kid, you underestimate humans too much." Cross said. Allen looked up with wide eyes, tears were flowing down his face. "This world is corrupted, it truly is. But there are still some of those people of those people out there who can understand your pain and they won't blame you for being who you are."

"I...I don't know what to do now...all I really wanted...was to walk alongside my father but now he's gone...I have nowhere else to go. I don't know what to do...he told me, before he died...to keep walking. But how can I keep walking down a path that will only lead me to...to...just..." Allen couldn't even make out what he wanted to say. All hope just seemed lost for him. Cross stood up and burned his cigarette in the tray. He said some of the most inspiring words Lavi had ever heard in his life.

"A path is something you create as you walk it. The ground you've trodden hardens, and that's what forms your path. You're the only one who can create your own path." Cross opened the door and left the room to Allen and his occupant. Allen looked at his bandaged left hand.

"...whoa..." Both Allen and Lavi jumped to the intruding voice. Where did that voice come from? His question was answered when the kid in the bed next to him sat up. He had pale skin, shaggy black hair and dark blue eyes. He smiled at Allen.

"That was some intense shit right there." The boy said. Allen looked at him, bewildered. He didn't know what to say.

"...don't say mean words..." Was all he could think of. Lavi would've laughed had he not been trying to figure out who the new kid was. Then, it suddenly hit him. _No way...is that..._

_Suman?_

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**Finally done! I was so distracted while writing this XD I started at like five and now I'm finishing at eight...I don't have a very good attention span. That is an actual quote from Cross by the way. He is like one of the most inspiring characters in even if he is a bit harsh. He only did all of those things to Allen though to show him how truly strong he was. That's why I really dislike it when people make Cross out to be such an abusing bastard that doesn't care for Allen at all. He _does _care. He just sucks at showing it XD Thanks to Shirubagure, Usagi-Twins, ankhesenamun2, CsillaDream, the guest, MintGreenn, Lyokni, VeridianSoul, bookspazz55, axis. powers.2013 for reviewing-WHAT'S THIS?! NEW REVIEWERS?! ME GUSTA! So happy ^^ Don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! If you don't know, it's on my profile. **


	20. Chapter 20

_**Why **_**are you all voting for Laven Mental Ward?! That one is pretty popular for some reason o.O I'm going to start putting summaries of the top three stories on my profile. There is a tie for second and third place though so I'll just put both stories that are tying on there. Sorry for all the Laven choices though xD like seriously. Anyways, I'm so happy! This is the 20th chapter! Yes! Finally here! I wonder how long this story is going to be! Your reviews make me so happy! Oh and sorry I haven't updated in the past two days...I forgot why but it was a good reason...I think? Maybe I just got distracted again. Or there were people in the room. I don't normally write when people are in the room xD Moving on! VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! **

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_That looks nothing like Suman! Suman is all muscular and he just looks like a little pipsqueak! _Lavi thought, disbelieving the fact that the little kid rooming with Allen was Suman. It would explain why they were so close though. Allen just stared at Suman, a bit surprised that he was there.

"Is he your uncle?" Suman asked. Allen shook his head no. "Who is he?" Suman asked. Allen shrugged. "You don't know?" Allen nodded his head. "That's weird. So do you like, talk?" Suman asked. Allen nodded and Suman sighed. He eyed Allen's left bandaged arm guiltily. "Thank you..." Allen gave him a bizarre look. _What's he thanking him for? _Lavi wondered. Allen was wondering the same thing. "For saving me back there I mean." Suman made a gesture across his neck. "I would've been dead." Allen looked at his arm.

"...it wasn't something you should really apologize for. I was supposed to go to the hospital for it anyways..." Allen mumbled. Lavi had to move closer to the TV to hear. He was glad that no one came down to check on him yet. For some reason, every time he was quiet, everyone thought he was scheming something.

"Yeah, but I would've died! And I barely even know you! You didn't have to save me...you even left..." Suman couldn't finish his sentence. He was originally going to say 'you even left your father's body' but he didn't want to upset the boy more than he was. Suman knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. His mother died when he was around Allen's age. Allen didn't have anyone left, he still had his father, but Allen had no one. Maybe he could change that though. He could become an older brother to the younger. "So, you're probably wondering what happened to me, huh?" Suman asked.

"Y-you don't have to tell me..." Allen coughed to clear his throat. His throat felt so thick for some reason.

"Nonsense! You saved my life, I feel indebted to you!" Suman said, smiling. He got out of the bed and Allen's eyes widened when he saw how bruised Suman's legs were. Suman didn't seem to mind standing up though. He walked on the other side of the bed and put his hands on it. Allen and Lavi were both wondering what Suman was doing and why he was out of bed to do it.

"You should stay in bed..."

"I will. Just hold on a minute." Suman smiled wider. He started pushing the bed and Allen's eyes got even wider-and yes it was possible. Suman kept pushing the bed until it was right beside Allen's bed. _What is he thinking?! _Both Allen and Lavi thought together. Suman hopped in bed and ruffled Allen's hair. "Nice hair by the way." Suman said. Allen gave him a puzzled look, to which his eyebrows shot up. "You haven't seen it?" Allen's brows just narrowed further. Suman looked on his bedside table and retrieved the empty silver tray that used to have food on it. He flipped it and showed it to Allen. Allen's eyes widened further-even though you could only see his right eye-and he grabbed his hair and gave a shout of surprise.

"What happened to my hair?!" Allen exclaimed.

"You didn't hear the doctor? He's been going on about it for awhile. He says that because you were so shocked your hair turned white." Suman informed.

"No I...wasn't really listening to the doctor..." Allen said and played with a strand of his now-white hair. He huffed and puffed his cheeks out.

"Great, now people are gonna think I'm old." He grumbled. Suman laughed.

"Nah, you have a baby face, I don't think they will."

"Baby face? What do you mean by that?" Allen asked, feeling insulted.

"Nothing bad of course." Suman replied. They sat in silence for a long time before Allen noticed that Suman was staring at all Allen's injuries. Allen could barely feel them from the Morphine, but they still stung a bit.

"Right, so back to the point of what happened to me." Suman said, bringing Allen away from his own injuries at the moment. "Rumor got out to them that my father worked for the organization that's after the Akuma so they took me hostage. They weren't all too nice either. I'd say they weren't very nice to you either. Your father used to be in the Akuma gang but he quit after he realized all the harm they did-don't ask me why he joined in the first place because I don't know. They must have wanted to...do something to him for quitting, you know?" Allen looked down at his hands at the new information he heard.

"I see..."

"I guess they weren't nice to you either since you're his son." Suman guessed. Allen felt grateful to Suman for not saying 'were' instead of 'you're'. "You don't have to tell me anything of course. I heard a bit of it from the doctor. Those bastards." Suman grumbled. Allen frowned at him. "What?"

"You're not supposed to say mean words." Allen said. Suman gave him the most oddest look before laughing.

"What, am I bad boy for it?" Suman joked. He didn't expect Allen to nod. Suman just shrugged. "I'm sixteen, I can cuss all I want. My father doesn't care. He cussed when he was twelve!" Suman said. He felt like he was talking to a little kid. Allen gave him a wary glance. He coughed again. Why did his throat feel so thick. But, once he started coughing, he couldn't stop. Suman looked panicked and rubbed his back. It helped more than Allen thought it would and he got whatever was stuck in his throat out. Blood. "Whoa! You're not dying are you?!" Suman asked.

"Not that I know of?" Allen frowned at the blood on his hand. "Ew. What do I do with it?"

"Does it...hurt?" Suman asked, eyeing the handful of blood. Allen shook his head.

"No, it just felt like something was stuck in my throat. Maybe it was still there from before...is that possible?" Allen asked. Suman shrugged.

"Dunno...but I guess it's good that its out now...I'm not one to say anything about that though because I'm not much of a doctor. I'm not very good at learning things." Suman said, laughing about it.

"Neither am I...hm...what do I do with this. It's really nasty and I don't want it to dry on my hand." Allen said with a disgusted look on his face. Suman laughed at him and patted his back a bit too roughly to where more blood came out of his mouth.

"AHHH! I'm sorry!" Suman shouted.

"It's okay...I think...?" Poor Allen was so confused. The doctor came in, looking down at his clipboard and walked on autopilot to Allen's bedside. He was mumbling some technical stuff the boys didn't understand and he looked too focused in what he was reading to see that Suman's bed was right beside Allen's. After he finished he looked up and flinched.

"What the?!" Lavi laughed along with Suman. Allen just looked confused and looked around for something to wipe his mouth with. There was blood oozing down his chin and it started to bother him, but he didn't want to wipe it with his sleeve because then he'd have to change and that was too much work for him at the moment. "Are you feeling okay?" The doctor asked, a bit freaked. He didn't know Allen had injured his lung in any way. The X-Ray's didn't show anything and he wasn't coughing up blood when he was unconscious.

"Well...now that I think about it...no. I think whatever you put me on is wearing off." Allen said, coughing a little. "Do you have a napkin?" He asked somewhat politely. Suman and Lavi face palmed. The doctor looked at Allen disbelievingly.

"Y-yeah...hold on let me get you hooked up. Nurse!" The doctor called and the nurse rolled in an IV. She prepared the needle and Allen's eyes widened. She neared him with it and he freaked out.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! No! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed. Suman was dying of laughter and Lavi was trying his best not to laugh too loud or else they'd hear him upstairs. This was just too funny to stay serious about. Cross burst through the door and stared at the scene with a relatively blank face. He shook his head and sighed. _Mana told me he was afraid of needles, but this is just ridiculous! _Cross stormed in and hit Allen over the head. Allen pouted with tears in his eyes.

"Would you calm the fuck down?! You won't even feel the damn thing after it's in!" Cross shouted. Suman started laughing even harder from the comment. His mind was so in the gutter right now. Allen sniffled and squeezed his eyes shut and looked away as they peeled back his bandages. Why did they want to insert it in his left arm? He felt Suman grab his right hand and looked up to see him smiling kindly at him. Allen's eyes watered up and he held onto Suman's hand tightly. So tightly Suman thought that it was going to be crushed in a few seconds. Suman's eye twitched. After Allen couldn't feel the needle anymore, he let go of Suman's hand. Suman had tears in his eyes and blew on his hand.

"Holy shit, you act like you were dying or something!" Suman wiggled his hand.

"S-sorry..." Allen blushed and looked away. Cross hmphed and left the two boys alone. The doctor and nurse left Allen with a napkin before leaving. That was when Suman finally realized that his hand was covered in Allen's blood. He squealed and wiggled his hand. Allen stared at him blankly.

"Ew! Get it off, get it off!" Allen smiled at him and handed him a napkin before wiping off his own hand and chin. Suman shuddered as he wiped it off. The first Allen probably would've laughed at him and held the napkin away from him but Mana made sure to help him become a nicer person and Allen was fine with it. Suman scowled as he put the blood-filled napkin on the tray. He looked to Allen with a new brightness in his eyes. "Hey, do you like to play games?" Suman asked, pulling out a random board game of Monopoly. Allen tilted his head to the side.

"Mo-no-po-ly?" He sounded out, confused. Suman's eyes widened.

"No way! You've never played Monopoly before?!" Suman asked. Allen shook his head.

"No..."

"Well, it's basically a game about businesses and some luck." Suman informed. Allen gave him a frown.

"I'm not a very lucky person though." Allen replied.

"I can tell-ow! I was just kidding! Jeez..." Suman said, rubbing his shoulder where Allen had punched him. He opened the box up and pulled out a game board. He took the bedside table and pumped it up to where it could just roam over their legs. He put the board on the table and dumped the silver pieces out alone with the houses and hotels. "Here, let me explain the rules..."

Suman started going off about what houses, hotels, and the cards were as well as the pieces. The doctor peeked in and smiled at them. Lavi smiled as well, glad that Allen wasn't depressed anymore. He too, felt a bit grateful to Suman for keeping Allen's chin up. Allen got into jail about twenty times and Suman just laughed at his poor luck. It was a fun game though, Allen had decided. Suman explained that it was a lot more fun with plenty of other people joining too because the game lasts longer that way and that way it's more fun. Allen and Suman had played Monopoly for hours and Allen never got sick of it-though it seemed a bit extreme that the winner had to acquire _all _the money. In the end, they couldn't finish the game because the doctors suggested that they should go to sleep early to heal properly. They ended the game and Suman won, having the most money out of both of them. Allen kept accusing him of cheating but they had fun none the less.

Lavi finally cut the tape off and figured that he should go upstairs now to avoid causing further suspicion. He finished folding the clothes, rewound the videotape and slyly walked upstairs. Everyone was still in the kitchen and he tip toed over to the box and gently placed it inside. He sighed with relief and walked over to the couch, plopping himself on it. The couch 'oofed' in response. Lavi ruffled his hair from the sweat. Then he stopped for a few minutes. _Did the couch just...oof? _Then he realized that he sat on Allen and jumped off the couch. Allen groaned.

"Ah! Allen! What are you...I'm sorry!" Lavi apologized. Allen rubbed his neck from the sore spot where Kanda had hit him. "How do you feel?"

"Ow...my head hurts..." Allen moaned in pain. Lavi bit his lip...did Allen remember what happened? He looked up and saw Lavi. "Why did you sit on me? What are you even doing here?" _Okay, so he doesn't remember. That's good. _Lavi thought.

"Uh, um...I'll go get you some pain pills! Sit tight!" Lavi scrambled out of the living room and into the kitchen. "Medicine cabinet?" Fou stared at him for awhile before pointing to the two small cabinets above the oven. Lavi grabbed for the pain pills and zoomed into the living room. He gave Allen some and Allen took them. "If you need any water I can..." Lavi started, but stopped when Allen just swallowed them dry. Lavi felt his throat uncomfortably. _How does he do that? _Then, for some odd reason, Lavi remembered back when he first saw Allen when he moved in-yeah, the moment when he saw Allen enjoying his Popsicle-and blushed. "Feel better?" Lavi asked.

"Lavi, the medicine doesn't work right away." Allen said, rubbing at his shoulders. Fou bounced into the kitchen and shoved Lavi aside.

"How do ya feel, Short Stack?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" Allen asked. Fou deadpanned and put on a strained smile and laughed nervously.

"No reason, no reason at all! Oh, hey, do your shoulders hurt? I'll give you a back rub!" Fou rotated his body before he could reply and started working at his shoulders.

"Uh..." Allen said dumbly, confused as to why she would randomly want to give him a back rub. He wouldn't lie, it felt good, but he didn't think she wanted to give him a back rub just to do it. What was she getting out of it.

"Wow, Short Stack, your skin is pretty soft." Fou commented. Lavi felt his hands tingling. _Ugh, why do they feel so weird? _Lavi wondered and stared at Allen's shoulders. He was still wearing his outfit from last night. "Take your shirt off."

"Wh-what?!"

"Your tank top, Short Stack, take it off. It's in the way." She grumbled.

"But then I'd have to-" Allen began but had no time to finish as Fou stripped his shirt off without a word of it. She threw the tank top at Lavi's face and then shoved the long sleeved shirt over his head. He was blushing pretty brightly and Lavi lifted his hand to take the tank top off his face. He smelled the shirt and chuckled. Allen smelled like a girl. He didn't know what to do with it.

"Why don't you keep that as a reminder, ne Lavi?" Fou said, smirking. Allen and Lavi both blushed. Allen didn't see Lavi's blush since he looked away.

"Ha, ha, very funny Fou." Lavi said, throwing the tank top on the floor. She shrugged and rubbed Allen's bare shoulders again.

"Hey, if you ain't gonna keep it, hand it here." Fou said, stopping her right hand from massaging his back to hold it out to Lavi for the tank top. Lavi gave her a suspicious look.

"What are you going to do with it?" Lavi asked suspiciously.

"None of your business! Give it here!" Lavi shrugged and gave her the tank top. She draped it over the edge of the couch and stared at Allen's peaceful face. Her hand that wasn't massaging Allen's shoulders was itching and she placed it on Allen's thigh. Allen started growling.

"Fou."

"Hey, just relax~." She started moving her hand.

"Fou..." He gritted out, blushing.

"Hey, you could always pretend I'm Lavi-"

"FOU!" Allen threw his elbow back but she caught it.

"Just. Kidding." She mumbled. She started rubbing his shoulders again and he relaxed. "Sensitive much?"

"Do you _want _me to elbow you?" Allen asked. Lavi was a bit confused on the 'pretend I'm Lavi' part but he just grinned.

"No..." Fou sighed. "Can you and Lavi just make out again or something?" Fou asked, whining. Allen's face heated up. "Fou please stop being awkward." Allen said, sighing.

"You like it~." Fou giggled. Allen just growled at her again.

"Just stop talking please." Allen grumbled. Fou looked at Lavi from behind Allen. She saw the confused look on his face and he saw the gleam in her eyes. He gave her a suspicious look.

"I will...if I can give you a hug." She said, grinning from ear to ear slyly. Allen seemed a bit confused.

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna hug you~!" She said.

"Um...okay?" He replied, puzzled. She hugged him from behind and bent him further, burying him in the couch. He growled and Fou grabbed Lavi's fingerless gloved hands and pulled him forward. She pulled back and Allen was lifted up right as Lavi reached him and it smacked their faces together. She grinned mischievously. _Oh yeah, front row seat! _She thought devilishly. Allen tried pushing Lavi off and Lavi tried pulling away but Fou just threw her arms around Lavi and hugged them closer.

"I'm not letting go until you guys kiss each other~." She sang. Lavi had a defeated expression on his face and fused his lips with Allen. Allen blushed. "You gotta do it too, Allen~." She said.

And so the heated kiss began with Fou as the referee.

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**-Giggles- I'm so evil! Trying my best to get more kisses in without it ending up on accident! Who cares if its forced, a kiss is a kiss right?! Muahahaha I have the most evil plan in mind for one of the stories...hm...the band one. One that involves an accidental kiss and a _very _pissed off Kanda c; care to guess? Muahahahaha! Yeah, that one. I still don't understand why everyone's voting for the Mental Ward one though. ._. I was actually about to not put it on there because I didn't work on it as much...I didn't expect it to get this many votes xD At most, I was hoping for the high school one because I worked on that one the most. I have a lot of ideas for the band one, but I haven't written any down yet. Ah well, I'm a writer, I'll find something! Hahaha. In the meantime, suggestions anyone? Better yet, VoTe FoR ThE PoLL? Thanks to Lyokni, ThatOneGingerKid, bookspazz55, MintGreenn, Shirubagure, the3leonine, Snipperita, CsillaDream, Lavi Bookman 2 and the guest for reviewing. You guys make me so happy! ^^ Oh and if you were wondering what DMD and AMD meant:  
AMD: After Mana's Death  
DMD: During Mana's Death  
Sorry if you didn't catch that ^^'**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21! Yay! Loved all of your reviews! I kinda spun off on this chapter a few times and had to rewrite it. I hope it's not bad ._. I'm overworking myself in school . For one of my classes, we have to do reviews for every chapter in the book, and we also have to do essays for each chapter, and then we have to do some work online as well. How do I find the time to do that? I don't. I'm thinking of just all out dropping the class. It's for nursing and what not. I already have my STNA so I dunno ****_why _****my mom won't let me drop the class -_- If I drop that class, I can drop Anatomy too! :D The ****_second _****class I'm failing! And no, I'm not a D and C student. I'm actually an A and B student but I'm just too stressed out lately. And how do I deal with my stress? By drinking a nice cup of tea and writing a chapter for my favorite OTP ^^ VoTe FoR ThE PoLL (Seriously, you guys. Do it.)**

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Allen just didn't understand Fou's motives. He was in love with Lavi, Fou must have known this, but Lavi never said anything about being in love with him. Sure, he hadn't said anything about it either, but Fou had given so many hints it wasn't even funny! Allen was falling too hard and he knew that he wasn't going to be caught. He face plant the cold hard floor of rejection. The more Fou did stunts like this, the more harder Allen fell. He didn't want to keep falling, and he was satisfied with just being friends, whether his heart wanted more or not. Doing things like this would only get him deeper underwater and the pressure would eventually become too much to handle.

Yes, Allen's mind wasn't blank as Fou had forced him and Lavi to make out. She noticed Allen's lack of attention and pulled Lavi closer. Both Allen and Lavi made a disgruntled noise at her actions. _Dude, Lavi has some pretty wicked gloves..._Fou thought as she stared at his fingerless gloved hands. They were made of black leather and Fou liked them. While she was distracted with Lavi's gloves, Lavi yanked his hands away and rolled off the couch. There was a loud bang and Allen and Fou looked over to see Lavi clutching his aching head. He must have hit his head on the coffee table...

_I bet that hurt. _Both Fou and Allen thought together. Lenalee poked her head in the living room to see what was going on. She gave Allen and Fou a questionable look. Allen was basically laying on top of Fou. She then looked at Lavi and could only guess what happened. She had no idea and simply shrugged, returning to the kitchen. Fou pouted. The kiss wasn't as long as she wanted it to be and there was barely any lip movement! Why couldn't she get to see an intense make out session? She could barely make out the cameras in the closet because it was so dark.

"Now why'd you have to go and do that?" Fou asked, pouting. She rolled Allen off the couch and he hit his head on the coffee table too-and boy did it _hurt. _Allen groaned and rubbed his head in pain. Now he knew how Lavi felt. Fou sat up and sat next to Allen, who was sitting on the floor. She looked unsatisfied at him.

"What?" Allen asked. Her bottom lip stuck out.

"That didn't go as I had planned. By the way, you have some pretty epic gloves, Lavi." Fou pointed out. Lavi grinned and tightened his gloves, thankful that he had worn them today. He felt so grateful to his gloves. Allen himself felt a bit hurt that Lavi was so desperate to get off Allen that he'd injure himself. _Oh jeez, what's wrong with me?! _Allen thought. Allen shook his head. He just needed to be on his guard more. Allen rubbed his stomach.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"Hm? Probably around six, why?" Fou asked. Allen's eyes bulged.

"S-six?! I slept that long?!" He asked, gasping. Both Fou and Lavi sweat dropped. Kanda knocked him on the head so hard before that he couldn't remember what happened! Lavi winced, remembering that Allen didn't forget anything when he was hit upside the head with a pipe. Just how hard were Kanda's punches? That or it was just a certain nerve Kanda hit.

"Allen! You're awake!" Lenalee exclaimed, running over and sitting across for him. "What's wrong with your head? Did Kanda hit you too hard?" She asked, concerned. Both Lavi and Fou face palmed.

"What are you talking about?" Allen asked. Lenalee tilted her head to the side.

"You don't remember?" Lenalee asked, frowning.

"Remember what?" He asked back, frowning back at her.

"Oh well Neah was here and he-" Fou slapped a hand over Lenalee's mouth before she could continue any further.

"Neah was here? Why was Neah here?" Allen asked, looking around as if he expected said uncle to pop out of nowhere. Kanda walked (more like strutted) into the room with a permanent frown on his face.

"Oh, you're finally awake, bean sprout?" Kanda che'd after he was done speaking. Both Fou and Allen glared at him because of the hated nickname. Lavi eyed them curiously. It was just a joke, why were they so serious about it? "Che, the foods done-that's fucking disgusting, stop it." Kanda scowled as Allen started drooling. Fou laughed and patted Allen on the head.

"Let's go eat." Fou said and helped Allen up. She stared at Lavi before lifting her nose high in the air and stomping off with a 'hmph!' Lavi was so confused.

"What's her problem? Is she still mad that I took advantage of that situation and escaped?" Lavi asked, mostly to Allen since there was no one else to actually ask about it because only Allen, Fou, and Lavi were there.

"Situation?" Lenalee asked. Allen blushed.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. Now where's the food?" Allen asked, hoping to get her off topic. It worked. She smiled at him and led him and the others into the kitchen. If Allen wasn't salivating before, he sure was now. _So...much...food! _

"Well, dig in!" Lenalee said happily. Allen didn't hesitate to follow her instructions. Ah, food was good. Everyone served their plates one at a time. Lavi and Fou stared at Allen in all as he inhaled the food he put on his plate so quickly. Lenalee looked a bit frightened and Kanda looked quite disgusted.

"He's like a garbage disposal." Lavi commented. Allen stopped eating and glared at him. Lavi was taken aback. He didn't expect Allen to actually be listening in on whatever their conversation morphed into. "That was a compliment?" Lavi suggested. Allen swallowed the foreign food.

"Who in their right mind would take that as a compliment?" He replied. Lavi just shrugged and waited for Allen to start scarfing down his food again. He didn't have to wait long. Apparently whenever Allen had missed a few meals, he ate ten times more than he usually did...and that was a lot. He already ate three times as much as Lavi when he didn't miss a meal.

"So, Short Stack, are you going to apply for that BOU Bak was talking about?" Fou asked, attempting to make conversation. It worked pretty well. Everyone, including Kanda, seemed interested in this topic. _I wonder if they plan on going there..._Allen thought to himself. He swallowed a large gulp of food-which actually kind of hurt-and shrugged. They all sweat dropped.

"Not sure." Was all he said.

If Lenalee wanted too, she could probably pull a few strings to get Allen in and Bak probably could too since he was Komui's best friend. But _no one _compared to Komui's little sister. No one. The doorbell rang and Allen stopped shoveling countless amounts of food in his mouth to look over at the door, half expecting it to have decent manners and open itself. Allen put his utensils down and scooted the chair back. The others stood up as well, curious as to who would be visiting Allen at this time of day. Allen cautiously opened the door and was immediately glomped by someone whom he's never met in his life before. Allen looked down at the sobbing man with long purple hair questioningly.

"OH MY DEAR LENALEE, WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?! WHY DO YOU LIVE WITH THESE MEN ALL BY YOURSELF EVEN THOUGH YOUR BIG BROTHER CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU?!" He screeched, crying all over Allen's shirt. Allen looked at Lenalee, who blushed and looked away. He looked down at the man and frowned, clearing his throat.

"Ahem." Komui peeked an eye open at the unfamiliar voice and instantly sat up, pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose. He cleared his throat as well.

"I apologize, I thought you were someone else." He said.

"Clearly. So...you must be Komui Lee?" Said person peeked an eye open at Allen.

"Who're you?" Komui asked. Bak gave Allen an apologetic look from behind him.

Allen now knew what Fou and Bak meant when they called Komui insane.

"My name is Allen...I'm a friend of Lavi, Lenalee-"

"YOU'RE A BOYFRIEND?! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Komui roared and pulled out a large needle type object that had three needles spinning into one and looked more sharper than knives. Allen's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted. Fou caught him in time. Allen was mumbling something about 'needles' and 'death'.

"BROTHER!" Lenalee screamed and landed a high kick on his forehead. She was blushing deeply from embarrassment.

"Why do you do this to your brother, Lenalee?" Komui cried.

"Allen is just a friend! You could've scared him to death with that!" She glared at him while kneeling next to Allen's unconscious, yet still muttering figure.

"Dude, he's totally spooked. He's like knocked out and he's still mumbling stuff." Fou said. She gave Komui the most coldest glare that made everyone in the room shiver. "Bring that thing out again in front of Allen again, and I'll gut you out with it." Fou threatened. Lenalee didn't even stand up for her brother and looked at Allen with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Hm, Allen Walker, why does that sound familiar?" He wondered aloud while stepping into the house. Bak kept an eye on him as he closed the front door. Fou watched him the entire time as he went to pace around the room. She held Allen protectively in her arms.

"If it helps, Gramps loves the kid." Lavi supplied. Komui snapped his fingers.

"Ah, yes, Bookman was talking to me about him once before...I wasn't exactly listening, but I at least remembered the na-" Komui was cut off when he tripped over one of the boxes and face planted the floor. Fou gave him a 'that's what you get' look. He rubbed his nose painfully and looked to see what he tripped on. "Who puts boxes in the middle of the floor?" He asked rhetorically.

"Neah." They all said at the same time, except for Allen, who was pretty confused. Why had Neah dropped some boxes off? What were the full of? And why were they sitting in the middle of his floor?

"Neah, hm? By any chance do you mean Neah Walker?" Komui asked.

"How do you know Allen's uncle?" Fou asked suspiciously. Komui lowered his glasses and gawked at Allen.

"Eh?! _He's _Neah's nephew?! I hadn't known!"

"Like I asked before, how do you know Allen's uncle?" Fou asked again.

"He attended BOU with me. That little..." Komui grumbled something none of them could hear. By the looks of things, Komui was very envious of Neah for some reason. "He was so 'gifted' as they called it..." He mumbled some more.

"Right..." Fou dragged out. "So, what did you come here for? Lenalee?" Fou asked. Komui's ears perked up at the mention of his little sister's name.

"Why yes! I was going to take her out for dinner tonight as a surprise but when I knocked on the door...they weren't there. So I came here to investigate!" Komui explained. Allen stirred and woke up. They all stared at him for a long time before Fou enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"You're alright! I thought you would be scarred for life!" Fou exclaimed. Allen stared at her for a long time with a blank expression on his face.

"That wasn't even funny, Fou." He said quietly. Fou gasped, realizing what she had just said. It was pretty ironic that she used the word _scarred. _

"I didn't mean it like that!" Fou said, crushing Allen again in a hug. "Sorry!"

"Oh jeez, now you sound like Neah. Get off." He wheezed. Fou did so and Allen stretched out his back, relief washing over him as it cracked. Everyone in the room winced.

"Brother...I'm kind of already eating dinner here, but you can join me if you like!" Lenalee added in quickly. Komui looked overjoyed.

"Don't mind if I do!" He hopped up and strutted towards the kitchen, tripping over the boxes again.

"What's in those boxes?" Allen asked cautiously.

"Nothing!" Was the answer he got from everyone. Kanda was just as confused as Allen was now. _Why is the bean sprout acting like he doesn't know what's in the box? Could it be that I damaged his memory whenever I knocked him out? Yeah, that's got to be it. Stupid bean sprout. _Kanda thought grumpily and sat at the table. Allen stayed on the floor as everyone strayed over to the table to finish dinner. Fou stared at Allen confusingly.

"What's up, Allen?" Fou asked, knowing something was wrong. Lavi saw Fou sit down next to Allen in the corner of his eye.

"Hm? Oh it's nothing." Allen said, looking away from her.

"Really? Then why aren't you eating?" Fou asked.

"I don't think I have the stomach to eat right now." Allen shuddered, remembering the large spinning needles. He shook his head to free his poor mind of the terrifying image. Who makes something like that anyways?

"Ah, yeah, I guess that was quite a shock for you, huh?" Fou asked. Allen gave her another blank stare.

"That's not funny, Fou." Allen said again. Fou slapped her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep saying stupid stuff like that. So...you know...if you talk to this Kumio guy about BOU, he might be able to get you in."

"Komui." Allen corrected. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "And I dunno. I never decided what college I was going to go into. I guess it wouldn't hurt to take the entrance exams, but I'm not good at tests..." Allen muttered. Fou patted him on the back.

"You'll do fine." Fou reassured. "So...I have to talk to you about something..." Fou muttered softly.

"What's that?" Allen asked, curious. Fou wasn't always quiet.

"Moving out."

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**I**** was starting to panic near the end xD I didn't know where else to lead the story and then it hit me like a bullet! Wells, I'm going to take a**** nap (_again!) _now. I've been doing that a lot lately...I hope this chapter was long enough for you guys D: it looked like an okay chapter but it was only around/above 3k words instead of being around 4k words...sorry! By the way, the poll results/summaries are on my profile now and if you're wondering about them just look there. The poll is still up of course and it probably will be until the ties are broken xD Thank you to the 17 people who voted for the poll! I'd like to see more voters soon so DON'T FORGET TO VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! Also thanks to Snipperita, VeridianSoul, Lyokni (I am very happy :D), ellarockabella, MintGreenn, Shirubagure (good point), and the guests for reviewing!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Had to edit the results on profile because one of the 3rd place was bumped up while the other was bumped down so the limit has exceeded to 1-4th places. I'm glad there were 2 more voters ^-^ I was going to say something else...oh yeah, one of the choices were deleted but that's because no one voted on it, so I don't think it will make much of a difference. I am surprised that the Yullen choice hasn't made it very far because Yullen is ****_really _****popular for some reason o.O Anyways, I'd still like more voters. Your votes could ****_really _****change the poll results...I know that from experience xD I had to write another summary because a choice was bumped up from 4th place. So VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! On a different topic, I'm actually still taking suggestions, I don't know if I said that or not in the last chapter. I've got more ideas though anyways! :3 I started writing the next chapter during school because I was bored, no one could read it because of my small handwriting! They thought it was just school work. Oh yeah, and did you know that FFN is like...not blocked? That's so cool! So yeah...anyways, onto the story!**

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"O-oh..." Allen stuttered out.

Allen had forgotten all about Fou leaving. Sure, she had been bothersome a few times, but that didn't mean he wanted her to leave. He knew that Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda lived next door, but he would still feel a little lonely. It would be so quiet without her at the house. Sure, it would be peaceful, but with what's been going on lately, he didn't think he'd be able to get used to the quietness like he could before he re-met Lavi. He would feel all alone again...like before Mana...he didn't want that-but he couldn't force Fou to stay here, she probably wanted some peace and quiet with Bak. Fou was searching Allen's expressions as he thought, trying to figure them out.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" She asked.

"What? Of course I will..." Allen muttered, still thinking. He wasn't alone, he still had everyone...it's not like they wouldn't talk to him or come over anymore. He would get to see Lavi everyday for a week for week. That's right. He would be okay.

"Yeah? I've got to talk to Bak about it. He said he was looking at houses around the area..." Fou informed. Allen nodded in response.

"If you ever need any of my help, don't hesitate to ask." Allen said, smiling at her. Fou didn't expect that reaction at all, but returned his smile and nodded anyways. It was quite silent in the living room except for the muffled chatter from the kitchen. Allen looked back at the boxes. "So what are with those boxes anyways?" Allen asked. Fou sighed.

"They're presents from Neah for you." Fou explained. Allen eyed them more suspiciously.

"What kind of presents?" He asked curiously.

"Videotapes." She replied.

"Of what?" _Stop asking so many questions! _Fou thought.

"You when you were younger." She answered.

"How would you know that?" He asked cautiously, already knowing the answer to that question.

"We watched them, that's how." Allen blushed, remembering how much of a crybaby he was when he was little. _Oh great and that's what Neah mostly recorded...how embarrassing..._Allen thought, blushing deeper. Fou giggled at him and ruffled his hair. "You were cute, Short Stack." She said, only causing him to blush a few more shades of red. "I'll miss ya, you know?" She mumbled. Allen's blush completely flew off his face and onto Fou's. She usually never acted like this. Allen smiled, feeling very special at the moment.

"Of course. I'll miss you too Fou, but it's not like you're going back to Asia, ya know?" Allen said. Fou nodded.

"Yeah, that's for sure. I don't think I could take living that far away from you, Short Stack." Fou said, ruffling his hair. "But hey, you better not cry when I have to leave." Fou said, smirking.

"I'm not gonna cry!" Allen growled.

"Are you sure about that? You seemed to cry _a lot _when you were little." Fou said, smirking wider. Allen's blush returned to his own face and he looked away from her, grumbling.

The doorbell rang and Allen stood up and walked over to the door. _What's with all the people coming over today? _Allen opened the door to reveal a strict man who looked a lot like Hitler. His dirty blond hair was slicked back and behind him was a man with blond hair that was pulled back in a braid and his bangs were cut across. What Allen noticed first was that he had two dots on his forehead. He also remembered Hitler from him coming over once at Cross' house. Cross didn't like him very much and Hitler seemed a little _too _interested in him.

"Good evening." Allen greeted. Hitler seemed a bit disturbed that Allen had spoken to him. _Did I greet him the wrong way or something. _"Is something wrong?" He asked politely.

"In fact there is. Have you seen someone around here named Komui Lee?" He asked bitterly. Allen nodded slowly.

"Um yes, he came over here a little bit ago..." Allen said uncertainly. Was it alright to trust this man? He looked like Hitler and Hitler didn't seem like a reliable person. _No, Allen, don't judge someone by their looks. You would just be no better than a hypocrite. _

"Where is he now?" Hitler asked.

"...am I allowed to ask why?" Allen asked. Both the blond hair and Hitler looked at him disbelievingly.

"Of course you are. He's supposed to be at work right now." Hitler said, regaining his bitter tone. Allen sweat dropped.

"He's in the kitchen." Allen said, sidestepping to let Hitler through.

The other man with the braid walked in and Allen observed him curiously. He had those same two dots as the head chefs where he worked. _Is he a chef too and I just didn't see him or something? Or wait...maybe those are just birthmarks? Or maybe he's just related to them in some way? _The man felt Allen's eyes on him and looked at him from the corner of his eyes. Allen blushed and averted his eyes, realizing he was staring. They walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Bak came out with a scowl on his face after they walked in. He sat down next to Fou.

"Something wrong?" Fou asked worriedly. Bak sighed and shook his head.

"It's just those people. They investigate gangs in the area and will do almost anything to get the information they want." Bak said, scowling. "Komui told me about them before. They accused his sister for being involved with one of the gang members from the Akuma because that gang member went to school with them. They took her into custody and asked her questions that she didn't know the answer to. I don't even want to know what happened to her." Bak said. Allen frowned at his words. Is that why Cross had been involved with them? Because of him? Allen was pretty interested in something though.

"You said that she was taken into custody because of someone being involved with the Akuma gang? Who?"

"It was just an accusation, but Alma Karma." Bak said, opening one of his eyes to look at Allen suspiciously. Allen blinked.

"Actually, he is a part of them." Bak blinked at his words.

"How would you know that?" Bak asked suspiciously. Neither of them saw Link leaning against the wall outside the doorway, listening to their very conversation. He too was curious how this boy would know about them. _Is he part of them, I wonder? _Link thought. He didn't want to accuse Allen, but he was very serious about his work. Allen lifted up his bangs to show a cut on the right side of his forehead. Link's eyes widened when he saw the pentacle star on the left side though. Allen pointed at the right scar on his head.

"Because I got hit upside the head with a pipe by him." Allen explained. Bak winced and Fou became very overprotective. She stood up and grabbed the front of Allen's shirt.

"WHERE'S THIS PUNK NOW?!" She roared. Link himself could feel sweat build up. He really didn't want to end up pissing that girl off. Allen and Bak just sweat dropped.

"Fou, I already told you, he was taken away already." Allen said, prying her hands away from his shirt since it caused the shoulders to fall down more.

"Are you so sure?" Bak asked. Allen gave him a puzzled look.

"Of course, or at least that's what Cross said. I think...or maybe it was Bookman?" Allen shrugged. He forgot. Hey, it wasn't his fault he was hit upside the head with a pipe! Of course he couldn't remember. Fou stared at Allen's scar for a long time.

"You never did tell me how you got that scar..." She said, lifting up Allen's bangs to look at it some more. She traced it with her other hand. Allen rose an eyebrow at her actions.

"Um...I don't think I feel comfortable talking about that..." Allen mumbled.

"Ah, I see..." Fou said and brought her hands back. "It's pretty..." She trailed off, thinking of the word.

"Conspicuous." Bak finished. Fou nodded.

"Yeah, conspicuous." She repeated. Allen gave them an amused look that implied something. Bak blushed at his look and Fou's cheeks were faintly pink.

"What's with that look?!" She asked, holding a fist in the air. Allen held up his hands protectively. He learned from experience that he didn't want to feel her fist.

"N-nothing!" Allen stuttered. Fou put her fist back down.

"That's what I thought." She said, smirking. Bak sweat dropped. Allen just shivered, remembering the last time she laid a hand on him. You would think that since she was so protective of him, she wouldn't hit him at all. That certainly wasn't the case. She hit Allen all the time-even during the week he was sick.

"Anyways, I came over here to talk about something with you." Bak said, bringing them away from the topic skillfully.

"Yeah? What's that?" Fou asked. She thought he just left the kitchen because he didn't want to be near those people.

"A house." Bak said.

"A house?" They both asked.

"A house." Bak confirmed. Fou growled and hit him over the head.

"Be more specific!" She yelled. Bak rubbed his head but didn't complain about it.

"Right, well, I think I found us a house we can stay in now. Sorry for staying for so long, Allen, we didn't mean to burden you." Bak apologized.

"O-oh not at all! I enjoyed your company, really." Allen said, smiling.

"What kinda house is it, Bak?" Fou asked.

"Well, it's probably about five miles away from here, but it's pretty cheap. It's only a one bedroom house but it has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room..." Bak trailed off when he saw the amused look on Allen's face again. He blushed. Fou growled at him and his face was wiped clean of amusement and replaced with fear.

"Sounds nice." Fou commented. Bak nodded his head. "Well, I guess it's nice that we'll be able to relax some more now." She said, stretching her arms out. Allen felt a bit guilty for troubling them so much while they stayed here. He could've been less problematic. He shouldn't have burdened them with his sickness...he could take care of himself... "Don't look like that, Allen, I wasn't talking about you." Fou said. Allen blushed. He really hated how his expressions showed clearly on his face. He expressed his emotions too much now. It was pretty embarrassing. Could that be how Fou found out about his crush for Lavi now? Then...how had Lavi not figured it out now? "What's wrong?" Fou asked.

"It's nothing important...just thinking." Allen replied.

Lavi seemed like the kind of guy to be able to spot something like love from far away. So how had he not noticed how Allen felt about him? Or had he already figured out? Allen paled, _Oh god I hope he hasn't figured it out! That would be really bad! He would probably use it against me though...or would he? Maybe he likes me too? No...I don't think so. I don't think he would've done those things with those girls if he did..._Allen's expressions had gone from scared, nervous, and then to sadness.

"He really thinks loudly, doesn't he?" Bak asked Fou.

"Yup, that's our Allen." Fou said, ruffling Allen's hair.

"Hm?" Allen asked, looking up. Both Bak and Fou began laughing at him. Allen flushed with embarrassment. "So when are you two moving out?" Allen asked.

"Well, I don't know about you, Fou, but I kinda want this move to be as quick as possible-no offense to you Allen. We just usually take a long time to move out. So I already made arrangements and called the person selling the house. Tomorrow we'll start moving things out of a truck I called back in Asia. We had to have our things moved out here and I told him the address we'd be moving at. We couldn't just take all our stuff and go, you know." Bak explained. Allen nodded in understanding.

"I see. So are you moving the stuff in your house tomorrow then?" Allen summarized it all up with a question. Bak nodded. "Well, in that case, I'll help out. It's Sunday tomorrow so I don't really have work or anything to do for that matter." Allen said. Fou squealed and lunged at him, hugging him.

"You're so nice! Thanks, Short Stack! You've already done so much for us!" She thanked him. Allen smiled and patted her back.

"That's nonsense, Fou. I'm your friend. Isn't that what friends do for each other?" He asked, smiling with a kind warmth. Fou retreated from the hug and smiled.

"Well you're a great friend, Allen." Fou complimented. Allen blushed and looked down, fiddling with his gloves.

"Oh...I dunno..." He said quietly.

"Not to mention adorable!" She complimented again, pinching his cheek. He just blushed deeper and pulled Fou's fingers off his burning cheek.

"Fou, quit saying things like that..." Allen grumbled. Seriously, he didn't know how many times people have asked him if Fou and him were dating when he went to Lavi's birthday party yesterday. Even that Mimi girl asked. She looked _really _confused when he said that she wasn't.

"I can't ignore a sexy person when I see them, Short Stack, you know that!" Fou said nonchalantly. Allen's face burned with heat and he couldn't look up at her.

"I'm not..." Allen couldn't even say the word. It just sounded so _wrong. _

"Say 'I'm not sexy' and then I'll stop saying it." Fou said, flicking his nose. Fou didn't think he could get any redder. He proved her wrong and looked away. You could almost feel the heat he was giving off. "I'll bet you I can get Lavi to say it!" Fou winked at him. Allen's blush died down a bit and he glared at her.

"Yeah, right. Try all ya want. Anyways, about tomorrow-"

"Ah yes! I wanted to talk about that too!" Bak said. He did need to talk about it...but he also wanted to get off the topic of Allen's sexiness. Fou would have none of it though.

"Now that I think about it, that Link guy could probably be sexy too if he didn't have that nasty scowl on his face. It just doesn't go with him. If he smiled and grew his bangs out, he'd probably look pretty hot." Fou commented. Link was startled by her preposition. He ignored the faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Fou. Can we please get serious?" Bak asked. Fou stared at him for awhile before she heard that wrong and blushed almost as deeply as Allen had awhile ago.

"...what?" She asked in a high pitched squeaky voice. Bak had caught on to what she thought he said and blushed bright red too. Allen chuckled at the two of them.

"I-I-I-I-I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! AH! DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Bak exclaimed, hiding his face in a pillow. Fou and Allen both started to laugh.

"Bak. Can you calm down and continue with what you were saying?" Allen asked politely. Bak peeked out from under his pillow and looked to see if it was clear. He put the pillow back and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Right. As I was saying...I was planning to go out tonight w-with Fou...because...we haven't really gone out in forever..." Bak mumbled weakly as if he was afraid Fou was going to hit him for saying such a thing. Fou looked appalled. Then she gained a sweet smile on her face.

"I see. Well, I'm not gonna stop you. You may go whenever you like...I just suggest you shower and change first." Allen said with a sweet smile.

They both nodded, remembering what they were wearing and ran for the hills...or well, the basement. Allen sat there alone for a little bit. Link watched him, wondering what he would do next. Allen sighed and ruffled his hair. He had a feeling things were about to get really empty around the house. He couldn't just waltz up to Lavi and asked if they wanted to hang out. That would be hinting too much. Maybe he could try and get Kanda to loosen up around him and hang out with him. Or maybe Lenalee-scratch that...Komui was too terrifying. Allen shuddered, remembering the needles.

Link was quite amused with how well he could read Allen. He was just like a picture book. Allen stood up and fell on the couch, putting his feet up. Link turned and walked into the kitchen. He noticed Komui complaining about who knows what and leaned in to whisper something into Leverrier's ear about a scar on Allen's face. Leverrier only remembered Allen gaining white hair from the Akuma Gang. He didn't know about any scar...and that's when it hit him. He remembered the bandage on Allen's face. _He must have been covering it up! _Leverrier thought. Leverrier nodded and had a gleam in his eye as he looked down at his subordinate. He saw a couple of the friends of Allen's walking up the basement stairs and leaving.

"Komui! You're an adult. Act responsible and go to work!" Leverrier barked. He was getting tired of Komui's charade and turned on Lenalee. "You, girl. Since the only reason he's staying is because of you, would you be a dear and escort him out to his car?" Leverrier asked.

Lenalee didn't hesitate to grab her brother and run out the door. Lavi looked a bit furious and grabbed Kanda's wrist and dragged him out the door, slamming the door behind him. Allen's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly to see what was going on. He frowned when he no longer heard the chatter in the kitchen. Fou had sent him a text, saying that they already left. He didn't see any signs of Lavi, Lenalee, Komui, or Kanda. He heard footsteps emerge from the kitchen. It was Hitler-er-Leverrier and his henchman-er-Link.

"Good evening, Allen Walker." Leverrier greeted creepily with a creepy look in his eyes.

"Good evening..." Allen said slowly.

"I have a certain suspicion of you." Leverrier said bluntly. Allen's face was filled with shock. Link just wanted to face palm at the moment.

"Um...I..." Allen was at loss for words. Leverrier put his hand on Link's shoulder.

"My subordinate _will _be watching you 24/7 and you _won't _have any problems with it, right?" Leverrier said intimidatingly.

"2-24/7?" Allen asked. "B-but does th-that mean-"

"He _will _be staying with you until my suspicions are gone." Leverrier stated. Allen opened his mouth and closed it. _But 24/7...does that mean...he has to sleep in the same room as me?! _"Yes, that means he will be sleeping with you." Allen opened his mouth to reply, "And he _will _report anything I ask him to." Allen closed his mouth and a blush starting creeping up his face.

"Work?" He asked hoarsely. Leverrier nodded. "B-bu-but h-how w-would I e-explain it?!" Allen asked. With the most straightest face, Leverrier said the most embarrassing thing ever.

"Simple. You two are lovers." Leverrier said bluntly. At that point, a faint blush was barely noticeable on Link's cheeks, but he kept a straight face. Allen's face wasn't very straight at all. His jaw dropped over and his extreme blush from ten minutes ago returned to his face. His mouth made motions but he just couldn't find the words to say anything. _This...can't be happening... _"You two met on this certain night. Link stayed here for the night and you two got to know each other better and now he doesn't to leave you. _No one _can know the truth until I say so. _Got it?" _Allen couldn't even say anything and just nodded his head _very _slowly. Leverrier smiled, feeling accomplished. _Have you no shame?! _Allen thought bizarrely. He walked over to the door. "Goodnight." He shut the door. _  
_

_This really is happening...isn't it? _

* * *

**Yes! I had to throw that in there. Oh boy, I'm actually starting to get excited myself! :D Betchu guys didn't expect that, didja? MUAHAHAHAHAHA! So yeah...so freaking inspired right now. If I didn't have homework right now, I'd start writing the next chapter...meh...it can wait for later xD But anyways. Don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! AND I MEAN IT GUYS! I really appreciate the 19 who have already voted and I just really can't wait for what the outcome of the poll will be! :D Oh and I'm thinking about inserting another in the next chapter and Allen and some passionate guitar stuff, no? Thanks to izumooichi, Shirubagure, MintGreenn, Snipperita, fullmetal96100 and the guests for reviewing. Sorry if I missed you...my FFN is acting weird today o.O Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23

**So sorry for not updating! I came home and I tried getting on FFN and it _wouldn't _let me on! It would say error something. It wouldn't even let me on my phone. And then when it actually started working again, I was at my dad's house and he doesn't have a computer...so yeah. That's my excuse. Continuing on with the AN though...Link would probably be a pretty awkward person to have a relationship with so Allen and Link are pretty awkward in the beginning. Truthfully, even though it's not my OTP, LinkxAllen is actually a pretty cute couple. I thought it was especially cute whenever (SPOILER) Link carried Allen on his back to safety after they were done fighting that Akuma or whatever. They could totally be a pairing, ya know? It's more of a cute kinda awkward. Usually whenever I think of Link though, I think of Zelda xD Oh, and I do apologize if you did review in chapter 20 and I didn't credit you though. Like I said my FFN is screwing with me...maybe it's because I'm uploading chapters too fast for it to comprehend xD I'll just double check on my email to make sure this time! Don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! **

* * *

Silence reeked throughout the house. _So much for the house being empty. All he's doing is watching me...it's not like we really have to do anything, right? _Allen thought, panicking. He couldn't even look at the man the right way. One of the questions on Allen's mind was: how does he feel about this? Link looked serious whenever Leverrier had said so boldly that they would become lovers, but he didn't say anything about it. Was he really that serious about work? _Oh god, he has to watch me dress! Is he going to freaking watch me shower too!? This is embarrassing. _Allen thought. _And what if he just follows me around without saying anything? Like some sort of ghost you can actually see? Oh no this really isn't-_

"You know we'll have to do...things to convince your friends right?" Link confirmed. _Dang it! But...just to convince people? I think I can handle that...just...think of this as another dare! Yeah! This will work out. _Allen gulped and nodded.

"I'm going to um..." Allen shuffled into the kitchen. Link followed him. _Creepy! _He looked at Link for a second, pondering something. "Have you eaten dinner yet?" Allen asked. Link shook his head.

"No." Link replied shortly.

"Oh, well...you can have some if you like..." Allen said, gesturing to the food. Link shook his head.

"You'll run off." Link said. Allen blinked.

"This is my house. Where would I run off too?" Allen asked.

"You'll leave the room. I know you will." Link said matter-of-factly. Allen sighed. He was planning on taking a shower _without _Link stalking him. Allen walked over to a chair and sat down. Link actually showed an emotion to him for the first time-well, besides the blush. Allen gestured to the plate in front of him.

"I'll wait." Allen said, doing exactly what he said he would do: waiting.

Link cautiously walked over and sat down. He looked at Allen warily and Allen just looked away. It was bad enough that _Link _watched him. He didn't want to watch him back. That would be weird. The kitchen was quiet and all you could hear was sounds of eating and cutlery. He finished and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. Allen couldn't help but giggle. It was muffled through his hand but Link still heard it. He looked over at Allen confusingly. Allen blushed and looked away. He couldn't even escape! Link would just follow him.

"Um...I'm going to take a shower now..." Allen said. Link didn't look amused. He followed Allen upstairs to his room and waited for him to grab his clothes. He even followed him into the bathroom. Allen essentially wanted to take a bath...but he would feel like he had more privacy taking a shower with the curtain and all. "Will you at least look away?!" Allen exclaimed, moving his hands in a shoo motion. Link rolled his eyes and turned around, crossing his arms.

Allen started the water and raised it to a nice hot temperature. It was the most awkward thing in his entire life, undressing in front of a man he didn't know. He set his clothes in a pile on the floor and his pajamas on the toilet seat before getting in the shower and making sure the shower curtain was completely closed. He tried his best to wash up and relax but he just _couldn't _knowing that Link was out there making it all awkward. So instead, he quickly washed up and turned the water off.

He peeked out of the curtain to see that Link was either still facing the other way, or he turned around because he heard the shower shut off. Allen stepped out cautiously, eyeing Link gingerly as he dried off and dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. He didn't care if Link was disgusted by his arm-hell, maybe he'll get lucky and it'll drive Link away. Unfortunately though, Allen wasn't a lucky person. He sighed and picked up his dirty clothes and threw them in the laundry basket, wondering what Fou did with his tank top he had on earlier.

"It's all yours." Allen said and sat down on the floor.

Link started taking off his shirt like it was _nothing. _Poor innocent Allen. He blushed and hid his face in his arms. Link sent him a curious glance before getting in the shower as well. _This is so awkward..._Allen thought as he waited for Link to finish. He _desperately _wanted to just go to his room and go to sleep; but he didn't want Link to hate him. They wouldn't be able to get along that way and he was pretty sure Link was going to stay at his house for awhile. This was just too troublesome. He barely had enough money to pay for food himself, and he thought he'd go poor with Fou and Bak joining in the mix. Link didn't seem like he ate much for a muscular guy. Allen blushed, realizing that he just thought of Link as a muscular guy. _He's more average I guess, but then what would that make me-oh why am I even thinking about this?! He's gonna drive me insane! I'm gonna-_

"Hey." Link brought Allen out of his thoughts and Allen looked up. He didn't look at Link specifically since all he had on was a towel.

"Ah...you don't have any clothes...I'm not sure if I have anything that will fit you...b-but you can look..." Allen blushed and stood up. He walked to his room and didn't even spare a look at Link as he flopped down on his bed. Link, of course, followed him into to room and stood there. "Find whatever. I don't care what you wear...I guess if it fits then it fits." Allen somewhat yelled into his pillow, only so Link could hear him.

Allen felt the vibrations of Link walking around and stopping a few times. _Probably observing the pictures..._Allen thought. He rolled around in the bed until he came upon a comfortable spot and threw himself under the covers, curling in a ball for warmth. He was a relatively cold person most of the time. It was a good thing Allen liked to wear large T-shirts to bed because finding one that fit Link was pretty easy. Allen also had a bunch of baggy sweats. Link turned off the light and crawled in next to the shivering boy. Link pondered about why Allen would be shivering. It was July, the hottest month of the year and he was under a comforter. Then again, it did get a bit cold at night.

"You should consider getting another comforter if you're so cold." Link could see Allen visibly flinch.

"Ah...sorry..." Link heard Allen mutter.

"It's nothing to apologize for..." Link mumbled back. "Although I don't find it very cold, you are skinnier than most people I know." Link excused.

"Mm...it's just usually cold for me at night...I don't know..." Allen replied, shivering a bit from a sudden wave of coldness that crashed over him. Link was eyeing Allen's arm curiously. _Did the Akuma gang do that? _He wondered. He decided to voice his thoughts.

"What happened to your arm?" Link asked. He saw Allen flinch again.

"O-oh...it's...always been like that...I'm sorry if it...bothers you..." Allen said quietly.

Link could tell from his tone of voice that Allen had been a bit ashamed of his arm. _It must have been hard, being born different. _Link thought. He was born normal, even if people did comment on the two spots on his forehead a lot. His entire family had those marks though and it wasn't as bad as how Allen had it. _But because of his flaws, he was born stronger than most people. _Link thought wisely. Allen shivered one more time before he felt warmth overcome him entirely. And not just _any _warmth. Arms had wrapped around him comfortingly. Allen blushed deeply. He didn't know what to say.

"It doesn't bother me at all." Link answered quietly, closing his eyes as he wrapped the younger one in a hug.

He could definitely feel the boy getting warmer, though that could just be because the boy had started blushing so brightly. _How does his face even get so red? _Link wondered. He really did hope that this boy wasn't involved in the Akuma gang. If he was involved though, he surely would've tried to murder him by now...right? As seconds passed on to minutes, Allen slowly relaxed in his arms and Link heard the boy's breathing become lighter as he fell asleep. Link didn't pull his arms away though. He felt like the boy actually needed the warm and not just for his physical problems too. He too fell asleep after closing his eyes.

He should do this more often.

* * *

Fou had been more than just frustrated. Allen told her that he would help them move out in the morning, but he wasn't here! Bak had actually started waving her with a plastic fan so she would 'cool down'. She stood in the driveway, tapping her foot while crossing her arms. She started pacing at one point too. She could only worry. What if something bad happened to Allen? She did leave him there with those creepy guys...who target people who know about the Akuma gang..._am I just being paranoid or does something not seem right here? _Fou thought. Suddenly, Bak cut her thoughts off with a gasp. Her head instantly snapped in his direction.

"What is it?!" She exclaimed, demanding to know the answer.

"Um...we never told him what the address was..." Bak hesitantly informed. Her anger only seemed to increase. Okay, now she was upset with herself.

"God damn it! Get in the car and let's go!" Fou roared.

"Couldn't you just call him?" Bak suggested. Fou stopped storming towards the car.

"Hm, I guess I could..." Fou mumbled and took out her phone, dialing the number and calling the phone. Hopefully, Allen wasn't still sleeping...it was a bit early in the morning...her anger returned whenever Allen didn't pick up. She called him numerous times and he didn't answer. Either Fou was missing out on some major make out time, Allen was in trouble, or Allen was dead asleep, Fou _would _figure it out. Allen _always _answered her calls. Fou stormed towards the car. Bak sighed behind her and unlocked the doors. He paled when he saw Fou hop in the front seat.

_I'm going to die, aren't I? _

Bak really thought he was going to die. They, surprisingly, haven't been pulled over but Bak _sure _that she had sped past the limit by five miles more than just a few times. Where were all the cops nowadays? Lazing at that coffee shop? Obviously they weren't doing their job or Fou would've received enough tickets that costed enough for Allen's wish list of food. She pulled a sharp turn and Bak was half-wanting to just open up his door and hop out. She took a sharp turn into Allen's driveway and pulled out the keys once the car was in park. She ran-no-_sprinted _to the front door and took the key out from under his place-mat and barged through the front door.

It was quiet...too quiet...

Fou cautiously walked around. She looked in the kitchen, the garage, the basement, the study room, and the bathrooms. There was only one more place to search: Allen's room. _I hope he's just asleep...oh god if something happened to him..._Fou thought worriedly as she grabbed the handle. Should she enter quietly? What if Allen was sleeping? _But what if he's not?! _The thought just terrified her and she swung open the door. It rebounded against the wall and she held it away from her so it wouldn't rebound into her face. She looked down at the scene before her before slowly walking out. She rubbed her eyes _really _harshly and blinked before walking back int he room. She was very close to having a nosebleed.

_This can't be happening. _She thought to herself. She couldn't help it and took out her trusty phone and took a picture of the scene. Link, the man she had seen last night, was..._cuddling _Allen. His face showed no sign of a scowl and his blond hair had sprawled out all over the pillows and some lingered on Allen's small body. Link was practically _spooning _the boy. _No. No. No. No. No. No! I won't accept it! Lavi and Allen...Link and Allen...Lavi and Allen...yeah, Lavi and Allen! What is Allen doing?! _She let out a high pitched squeak and Allen opened his eyes slowly. Link's snapped open. Fou quickly dodged out of the room, holding her hand to her mouth. She should leave them to the peace of waking up...and maybe _listen in _to what the _hell _was going on here! _  
_

Allen's eyes were only open a little longer before he closed them again, snuggling in with the warmth. Link froze in place, not at all liking the movements Allen was making. Allen stopped as he fell asleep and Link sighed with relief. He didn't want to leave the boy alone...but he _swore _he heard someone scream. Maybe he was just dreaming? He didn't feel like he had dreamed...it more or less felt like a rude awakening actually. So now he was stuck. If he moved away from Allen, the chances of him waking up was probably around 75%. If he stayed though...well...it didn't seem that bad of an idea. His mind was just paranoid. Leverrier wouldn't mind him doing something like this if it was for the sake of work...even though it wasn't...but he didn't need to know that.

"Mm..." He heard the smaller one mumble and blushed. _...what kind of noise...? _Link didn't want to end up interpreting that wrong. Allen had actually began to wake up once he realized that he shouldn't be feeling _this _warm. "Good morning, Link." Allen mumbled. He didn't feel very awkward around him anymore since last night. Link was a good person and could probably be an excellent boyfriend if Allen wasn't already into someone already...then again...what were the chances of Lavi liking him back? _I'm not going to think about this this morning. I've got to focus on helping Fou move her stuff and...explain Link..._

"Morning." Was all Link said in response. "Was it just me...or did you hear something?" Link asked. Allen furrowed his brow.

"Mm, dunno. Do you know what time it is?" Allen asked. Link shook his head.

"No idea. Give me a minute." Link said and rolled over to take his phone off the bedside table. Allen grunted, not enjoying that the warmth had disappeared. "It's roughly eight thirty." Link informed. Allen sighed and sat up.

"That's weird. I always wake up around nine or ten." Allen grumbled. Link made sure to store that information away. Allen swung his feet around the bed and walked over to this dresser, sleepily opening it. He felt more open now to Link since last night and felt like he could actually dress in front of him today. Link noticed this. He probably couldn't _completely _undress in front of him though...after dressing, Allen heard the doorbell ring. Fou panicked and pulled Bak into the study room, closing the door as silently as she could. Allen walked past the door, not giving it a second look. "I wonder who that could be..." Allen said, wondering aloud.

Fou and Bak quietly followed him downstairs without being seen by Link. They sneaked past Allen in the kitchen. Allen opened the door and was confronted by four people. First, was Hitler-Leverrier-who was holding a bag out to him. The other three were his neighbors giving him suspicious looks. Leverrier said nothing and walked away after the bag was delivered. Allen was a bit confused by the bag as well as the others. Lavi past Leverrier, giving him a suspicious look before standing on Allen's porch. He looked down at the bag.

"What's the bag for?" Lavi asked. Allen shrugged in response.

"Honestly, I have no clue." Allen replied, looking down at the bag.

"I believe it's for me." They heard Link say from behind Allen. Allen jumped and spun around.

"Oh jeez, you scared me...here you go then." Allen said, nonchalantly giving the bag to him. Lavi and Lenalee's jaws dropped. Kanda just seemed to be getting more and more pissed off as time went by.

"What's he doing here?!" Lavi asked, pointing at Link. Link and Allen both frowned at the red head. Allen skillfully avoided the question.

"Right. Well, you guys must be hungry, would you like to stay for breakfast?" He asked, knowing how the hyperactive red head would react. Lavi started wildly flinging his hands everywhere.

"Oh, oh, oh, I do!" Lavi shouted, he ended up hitting Lenalee and Kanda in the head. Lenalee glared at him but looked like puppy dog eyes compared to Kanda's menacing glare. "Uwah, I'm so sorry, Yu! I didn't mean to hit you! Please don't stab me with a butter knife!" Lavi yelled manically before bolting into Allen's house. Kanda and Lenalee grumbled before following after him. Lavi plopped himself casually on Allen's couch. "So, what's moley doing here anyways?" Lavi asked, somewhat childishly. Allen sighed.

"His name is Link." Allen clarified. Link felt a bit gracious to Allen for standing up for him.

"Right, yeah, Link."

"Well...um...it's a long story..." Allen mumbled, fiddling with his gloves like he always did when he was nervous.

"Ahem." Everyone froze and stiffened up. Except, Link, of course. He didn't quite understand their fear at the moment and he was pretty sure he didn't want to. Allen stiffly turned around to see Fou. She looked a bit upset, which was how she usually felt when she wasn't included in something. Her foot was tapping impatiently as she stared at Allen. Allen started off asking a stupid question.

"How did you get in my house?!" He exclaimed. Fou walked-no, scratch that she _stomped-_over and hit Allen over the head. "Ow...what was that for?" Allen asked.

"What was _that?!" _She shouted, pointing at Link.

"I believe that is a person." Allen responded smartly. He instantly regretted it after receiving another smack to the head.

"No, I mean _this!" _Fou shouted and shoved her phone in Allen's face. Link could get a clear view of the picture from behind Allen. It was a picture of them from this morning. Allen blushed angrily and stole her phone, deleting the picture.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about." Allen said. He was about to hand the phone back when he saw another picture. Fou tried reaching for her phone but Allen withdrew it away from her. "Wait a second..." Allen started looking through her pictures, his face glowing brighter with each one he saw. "Wh-what is with all these pictures?! When did you take them?!"

"So that's where all those pictures came from..." Lavi mumbled. Allen still heard him again.

"What pictures?!" Allen turned towards Lavi. Lavi instantly feigned innocence.

"Pictures? What pictures? I didn't say anything about pictures." Lavi lied. He was a pretty good liar too. Allen huffed.

"So? Are you going to tell me what's going on between you and Link or what?" Fou demanded, snatching back her phone. She put it in her pocket so Allen couldn't get to it again. Allen opened his mouth and then closed it...and then he opened his mouth again, only to close it again. He looked like a fish that was out of water with all the opening and closing. Link cleared his throat and decided to speak up.

"We're lovers."

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**Haha, way to go Link, just blurt it out to the world, why don't cha? xD Hope this chapter made up for the wait. I was literally freaking out when I couldn't get on FFN though. I also had a piece of this written on paper and the next chapter on paper...but I lost the paper... :C Anyways, suggestions are always welcome. I'm gonna end up stop saying that eventually but I'll _always _be open for suggestions! Heh, if you think about it, this is all Komui's fault. Anyways, don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL and thank you to the 23 voters that have voted already, I love you guys a lot. xD Mhmm and thanks to Lyokni, myangelicladyofdarkness, Shirubagure, axis. powers. 2013, Usagi-Twins, ellarockabella, Katie2000, mooneclyps, MintGreenn, fullmetal96100, CsillaDream, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, roseahal, ThatOneGingerKid, alex, and the guests for reviewing! :3 Guitar stuff I'm saving for later c;**


	24. Chapter 24

**The poll results are updated in the correct order now. Lol, I had them all over the place last time. It's hard to focus though because my little sister is playing Kirby's Epic Yarn and the freaking cutesy little music is annoying the crap out of me. I've heard it ****_a million _****times. She ****_never stops _****playing the game! She's made so many freaking new games so many freaking times. You would think that she'd get sick of it! So yeah, now I'm just playing my own music and they don't correspond well together. My nerves are aching to just run over and punch her in the face. Yeah. Violence. I'm really happy though! I have new reviewers! ;D That always makes me happy. Not to mention I got another voter for the poll! Oh! And I downloaded Snapchat! :D I haven't stopped using it since last night. It's so much fun! So yeah...anyways, I guess I'll end the AN right here xD**

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More than just Allen's jaw dropped at that moment. A blush slithered across his entire face and he could barely find the words to speak. Fou just seemed shocked, her eyes wide, her jaw dropped. Everyone in the room had their jaws dropping. Well, except for Kanda, but his eyes widened a considerable rate. Link felt a bit offended that everyone would be shocked but he tried his best to play it as professionally as possible. Allen closed his mouth and gritted his teeth. _Did he seriously have to blurt it out like that!? And to just say it like that! _Allen hit Link over the head and everyone was surprised at his violence.

"DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!" Allen shouted at him. Link looked at him preposterously.

"Well how do you expect I say it then?" He asked.

"NOT LIKE THAT!" Allen countered.

"Prove it." Fou demanded, cutting off their argument.

"Hm?" Allen turned to her.

"Prove. It." She repeated, her tone growing all the more demanding.

"Prove what?" Allen asked innocently.

"Prove that you two are together. I don't believe it." Fou answered.

_P-prove it?! Oh, I knew this was going to happen...Link did too so this shouldn't be too much of a problem. He said that we'd have to do...stuff...oh man, I hope he doesn't get mad..._Allen thought as he walked closer to Link with no show of hesitation on his face. _Just think of this as another dare..._Allen thought to himself as he stood up on his tip toes. He planted a short kiss on Link's mouth. Link was surprised, but he wouldn't let his face show it. He simply tried to pretend that he wasn't kissing Allen and someone else that he...liked. He wrapped his arms around Allen's waist and it was too short in Fou's opinion. Lavi and Lenalee's eyes widened. Kanda's eyes couldn't widen anymore than they already had.

"I still don't believe it~!" Fou whined, squeezing Allen in a bone crushing hug. Allen had a feeling that the hug was actually out of anger.

"Wh-what?!" Allen exclaimed. Link rolled his eyes and crossed his arms before looking away. He wouldn't show his shock on his face, for that would give him away. Allen tried pushing her off. He could _feel _his back cracking.

"No~, you're supposed to fall in love with Lavi, not Link~!" She wailed louder. Allen's face heated up a few thousand degrees.

"Wh-wha-what a-are y-you saying?!" Allen exclaimed. He looked over at Lavi with a pointed look and noticed just a faint blush on the red head's face. Lavi shrugged at him with a disbelieving look on his face. _He doesn't seem to get it either..._

"You guys would look cute together~!" She wailed _even _louder.

"FOU GET OFF!" Allen yelled, blushing. She whined a bit but complied. She crossed her arms and looked away from him, clearly upset with his choice of relationship.

"But...but..." Fou pouted. "Lavi." She stuck her bottom lip out and gestured to the red head. Allen glared at her. _It isn't her choice as to who I'm with! Just because I l-love Lavi, doesn't mean he loves me back! It should really be the other way around. She should be trying to get him to fall in love with me, not vice versa. I can't fall in love with someone that I'm already in love with. I thought she knew that I loved Lavi...or maybe she was trying to save me the embarrassment of it all..._Allen sighed.

"Whatever. This is getting out of hand." Allen told them. "I'm going to start making breakfast now." He claimed.

Allen walked out of the room and Link followed him into the kitchen. Link sat at the table and watched as Allen tied a very stained apron around him and started pulling out random ingredients. The others waddled into the kitchen, Fou with her head down. Bak was patting her back somewhat awkwardly. Allen didn't say anything to them and just continued mixing his pancake batter. No one said anything. The only sounds that filled the kitchen was cracking, crackling, and sizzling. Some splashing even as Allen splashed mysterious substances on him. You could see some pancake batter on the side of his face.

After finishing the pancakes, bacon, sausages, and toast, Allen placed the plates of food in front of everyone. He then walked over to the cupboards to gather up empty plates for everyone to use. _Why does everyone suggest eating breakfast at my house? _Allen thought a bit bitterly. He never got any peace and quiet when he wanted it and he barely wanted peace and quiet. Today was one of the days he did though. With Link around, he was afraid that he'd end up doing something to further Leverrier's suspicions. Allen placed plates in front of everyone and they started digging in. He, for once, didn't join them.

He removed the apron and threw it in a basket in the bathroom downstairs, not leaving the kitchen, and got a paper towel to wipe his face off from the batter that _no one decided to tell him about. _He leaned against the counter and looked out the window. Stress was building up on him and was slowly getting higher and higher. Hopefully, it wouldn't tumble down any time soon. Whenever the building blocks usually tumbled down, he went through an emotional breakdown. He usually only had to deal with those during high school. Fou stared at him as he looked out the window. Her staring caused everyone else to stare. It wasn't his fault. He just couldn't eat as much when he was stressed. Cross knew this.

This struck an idea in Allen's head.

It had been quite awhile since Allen had seen Cross. Maybe he could let off some steam by visiting him. He could always blow off some stress by cleaning the house, but his house was already completely clean. It was impossible for Cross' house to be clean. So, with a new plan set in mind, Allen decided that after he was done helping Fou move some stuff into her house, he would go and visit Cross for awhile. Cross would probably not say anything about his actions or anything, so he wouldn't bug Allen. He never bugged him when he was stressed out. Allen suddenly felt the feeling of six pairs of eyes on him. He looked over to see everyone staring at him.

"What?" He asked, puzzled as to why everyone was staring at him. Did he say any of his thoughts aloud? He tended to do that a lot...but he couldn't remember doing so.

"You're not eating." Fou replied suspiciously as she ate another piece of bacon. Allen made a noise of recognition in the back of his throat and looked out the window.

"I'm not hungry." Allen said truthfully. Fou put down her fork and crossed her hands and laid her chin on said crossed hands.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. Allen gave her a bemused look.

"No, why?"

"You're _always _hungry." She answered. Allen grunted and didn't look away from the window. He couldn't just come out and say he was stressed. That would cause her to start asking questions that he didn't feel obliged to answer.

"I'm just not hungry, Fou." He said. She sighed and poked at her bacon.

"You can't just not be hungry, Short Stack. There's got to be something wrong with you." She said. Lavi and the others agreed silently...except for Link, who had yet to see how much the boy eats each meal. Allen gnawed on the inside of his lip. He wanted to leave the kitchen, but he knew that Link would just follow him and that would bring suspicions among the others. The kitchen became quiet again since Allen didn't respond.

"It's kinda quiet in here." Lavi commented. "Don't you have like any music or something?" He asked. Allen reached behind him and turned on the radio. It was only playing softly but apparently Lavi was satisfied since he started eating again. Allen's mind went blank and the peacefulness. He didn't notice the lingering suspicious looks that were on Link from the rest of the friends in the kitchen. Allen closed his eyes and let the soft melody of the song float around his head.

"I really don't trust you." Lavi claimed, staring directly at Link. Link didn't look very amused by Lavi's claim.

"I don't care if you do or not." Link replied. They both looked over to see if Allen would interfere like he normally would. Allen was too busy clearing his mind from all the stressful thoughts and just letting the music flow within him. Aka, he wasn't going to interfere.

"You should. I'm one of Allen's friends and he won't appreciate it if I don't like you because of your attitude." Lavi said. He was a bit surprised when Link smirked at him.

"Oh really. Why don't you try and ask him about that, hm?" Link asked, shoving a bite of pancake in his mouth. Fou didn't like where this was going either and stood up, slamming her hands on the table.

"Oh quit it. You guys have to get along for Allen's sake. Can't you see that he's stressed out enough as it is?" She asked, nodding her head over to where said teen was relaxing against the counter.

"He doesn't look very stressed, Fou..." Lavi mumbled.

"That's because he's trying to clear his mind." Fou said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"How would you know that?" Lavi asked. Fou gave him a challenging look. She was _daring _for him to go further with the topic.

"Because I know Allen like the back of my hand. He's just too easy to read." She replied. "Maybe if you paid attention to him once in awhile instead of your ex-girlfriends you would know about this." Fou retorted.

"What does my ex-girlfriends have to do with this?!" Lavi asked, puzzled. They _were _talking about Allen, right?

"You wouldn't know." Fou huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to eat any further.

"I wouldn't know! I barely know what we're talking about now!" Lavi argued. Lenalee sighed and Kanda grumbled. Link didn't seem fazed by their argument.

"Pay attention then!" Fou countered.

"Pay attention to what?!" Lavi asked.

"To Allen!"

"I thought we were talking about my...ugh, you're confusing the hell out of me!" Lavi yelled.

"SHUT THE HELL UP BOTH OF YOU, YOU'RE GIVING ME A FUCKING HEADACHE!" Kanda growled, slamming his fists on the table. Allen startled out of his peaceful mode and looked over at where Fou and Lavi were glaring at each other. _I really need to not space out like that. _Allen told himself.

"What's going on?" Allen asked innocently. Both Fou and Lavi groaned in response. Lavi pointed at Link.

"Allen! I don't trust this guy!" Lavi exclaimed, pointing at Link. Allen didn't seem fazed by his claim.

"Okay? What's your point?" Allen asked. "What if I said that I didn't trust Kanda?" Allen continued. Kanda just che'd and looked away. "I said 'what if' Kanda, I trust you." Allen reassured.

"Well then I'd be ticked off because he's my friend and you should trust him!"

"And what if I said I didn't trust you, Lavi?" Link snapped. All of this bouncing around was just giving Allen a headache. He walked over to the cupboards and pulled out a bottle of pain medication before opening it and swallowing one dry. He didn't really need water, he was used to taking so much pain medication back in high school. Of course, Fou and Cross knew of this. There wasn't something Cross didn't know about Allen. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with them.

"Can we please get off this topic?" Allen asked.

"Eh? Why? I wanna know what you're thinking right now! I'm your friend, aren't I? You trust me more than this moley guy, right?" Lavi asked, pointing at Link with an annoyed expression on his face. Allen did trust Lavi more than Link, but he couldn't tell them that. It would cause a disruption in their 'relationship' and Leverrier would know about it immediately. So instead, Allen countered with one of his own questions.

"That depends, Lavi. Do _you _trust _me?" _Allen asked. Lavi _actually _hesitated. Allen's eyes widened, horrified, he didn't expect him to actually hesitate...Allen's fist clenched on the counter and he grunted. "Never mind, don't even answer that question." Allen grumbled, huffing as he looked out the window again.

"Whoa, hold on, Allen, don't freak out now-" Lavi started but Allen silenced him with a glare. Fou and the others slowly started shuffling out of the kitchen, afraid of Allen's wrath. As soon as everyone was out of the kitchen, Allen spoke.

"So you expect me to trust you, but you don't expect to do the same?" Allen asked in an icy tone.

"Well...um...I didn't say that, Allen...there's just...some things...like..." Lavi trailed off.

"Like your eye?" Allen asked. Lavi instantly looked up and saw that Allen was staring out the window. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What do you know about my eye?" Lavi asked in a cautious yet warning tone.

"Nothing. That's the point, Lavi. I don't know _anything _about you or your past but you seem to know _a lot _about mine."

"Well, Allen...your past is different...I mean...I just...I can't talk about it, it's sensitive." Lavi mumbled.

"You don't think I'm sensitive with my past?!" Allen asked.

"Well no...I never said...that..." Lavi murmured. His voice was just getting smaller and smaller. Allen had a bad past and he didn't have a joyful one either, but he just didn't feel comfortable talking to Allen about it. He did trust Allen, but trust had nothing to do with this.

"I don't get you at all Lavi. You tried this hard to be my friend, but you don't trust me or feel comfortable enough to tell me what's going on? Why did you want to befriend me in the first place? If you want to get closer to me to learn my secrets, you've got to spill your guts too."

"Allen, I can't just tell you! Its hard to explain..."

"Its not hard to explain, Lavi..." Allen whispered. Lavi could see the hurt in Allen's eyes. "I don't...if you don't want to tell me...get out." Allen mumbled, pulling up a chair to the table and hiding his face in his hands.

He was trying to be angry but he couldn't help but be upset. He actually started to trust Lavi, but this...Allen expected to be trusted back. Lavi already knew so much that Allen didn't want him to. This wasn't fair. He hurts him so much.../_we shouldn't even be friends right now...I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later. We're not meant to be friends. He just needs to leave me alone or it'll hurt more when we part._ He didn't want to hurt anymore than he did right now. Lavi stood up and stopped at the doorway.

"If you do leave...don't be prepared to come back." Allen swallowed his tears and waited. Lavi hesitated.

_I'm back to square one._ Lavi thought as he exited the kitchen. _All of this because I hesitated..._ Lavi thought bitterly. He gave Lenalee and Kanda a pained look before leaving the front door. Lenalee and Kanda looked at each other seriously before following him back to the house. Fou, Bak, and Link stood in the living room awkwardly. Fou walked slowly to the doorway and just stood there, watching Allen. She frowned. Why did Lavi have to hesitate? Bak placed a hand on Fou's shoulder and shook his head. He knew Allen would probably need some time alone. They also left and drove back to the house, leaving behind what they came here for. Link stayed in the living room also. He knew when to leave someone alone.

A little bit later, Allen had dried up his tears and pulled out his phone to text someone. He pulled his keys off the counter and entered the living room. He nodded towards the doorway to announce that they were leaving. Link followed him out to his car and didn't bother asking where they were going as Allen sped off. He most likely didn't want to talk about it. Link didn't blame him either. Allen pulled into a very...untidy driveway. The garage was beaten up, the house's paint was scraping off and you could see the mounds of clothes and trash from inside the windows. Link's jaw slightly fell.

"Where...are we?" He asked curiously. Allen got out and locked the doors. He headed over to the porch and stopped to look back at Link. He gave him a weary smile even though he felt horrible on the inside.

"Marian Cross' house."

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**Okay! Yay, finally here. Don't kill me! You _knew _there were going to be complications you guys. You _knew _it. You guys were the ones saying you don't want the story to end after all and the more complications there are, the more longer the story's going to be. I plan on having it even longer when Lavi and Allen get together too. Like I said though, the more hardships they have, the longer the story will most likely be! So...I hope you guys...somewhat enjoyed...this chapter...xD Thank you to the 24 voters for the poll and Katie2000, myangelicladyofdarkness, Shirubagure, Snipperita, ellarockabella, Lyokni, MintGreenn, midnightstardust, fullmetal96100, and the guest for reviewing! DON'T FORGET TO VoTe FoR ThE PoLL!**


	25. Chapter 25

**OHMYGAHD! I _hate _it when people freaking chew with their mouths open _while _eating _crunchy _food...gr. So yeah, it's so hard to update this because so many people are around my house now and I hate it when people watch me write .I just get really paranoid. Anyways, getting so excited with all the new reviewers-legit man! Sorry if you don't like that word. That's one of my favorite words if you didn't see that on my profile lol! Speaking of my profile...that poll is still just waiting for you to click your little mouse on it! ;3 Voters so far: 25! I believe there should be like 150 votes since you can choose 6 different choices but there's like 106 votes on there o.O should I add more choices or something? Oh well, it took me ****_for-ev-er _****to ****_finally _****find the name of this character I'm going to put in here! I forgot his freaking name because he was only mentioned for a little bit in the anime but he must've been really nice to be Allen's friend, ne? ^-^ Warning: He's even more cooler than Suman and hopefully I can end the whole LinkxAllen thing in this chapter. If not, it'll end in the next chapter-PROMISE! Anyways, don't forget to vote for the poll!**

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Link had officially given up on following Allen around all day. He would disappear somewhere to clean and reappear within seconds for clothes. Link would think that Cross was a strict, uptight, and tidy man from the way Leverrier described him, but his hypothesis was dead wrong. His entire house was a mess and Allen was running around, cleaning his heart out...quite literally. Allen took all his stress out by cleaning; and since Cross was quite a carefree person, his house was a pig sty. He said nothing when they walked in and only snorted when Link attempted to follow Allen around. It was quite embarrassing to say the least. So they sat separately as Allen ran around.

"May I ask why he's cleaning your house?" Link asked, hoping for some useful information. Cross blew out smoke in Link's direction like he did every time someone spoke to him. Except for women of course. Link coughed a bit, scrunching up his face.

"You won't find any information about him working for the Akuma if that's what you're looking for. He just cleans to relieve stress." Cross replied. _That must be why his house is so clean..._Link thought.

For the entire day, Allen cleaned Cross' house and it slowly came to life as he threw all the unnecessary trash away, threw the dirty clothes lingering around in the laundry room, did the dishes, swept the floors, organized the movies and books, dusted the TV and other objects, and so much more. Link had watched him with amazement. He had never seen anyone clean so fast. Allen stopped to make sure Link was still there before continuing on. He had almost hoped that Link would've just left, but he knew that that wouldn't happen. Cross didn't say anything as he watched the young teen clean, but he was interested in what got Allen so stressed out in the first place. Allen ran to the laundry room after hearing the dryer beep. Cross knew he'd be in there for awhile so he decided asking Link what was bugging Allen.

"What's got the brat so stressed out anyhow?" Cross asked, grumbling.

"I cannot say for sure, but I think it has something to do with Lavi. They must have gotten in a fight of some sort." Link replied.

"You can't say for sure? Don't you follow the kid around 24/7?" Cross asked.

"I know when to give someone their privacy." Link mumbled.

"Really? I thought you were serious about your work?" Cross smirked at him.

"I am, but-" Link started and stopped when Allen entered the room and face planted the floor on purpose. He was so tired after cleaning Cross' entire house. Cross seemed satisfied though.

"That idiot neighbor of yours giving you a hard time?" Cross guessed-not technically but it sounded like a guess. Allen just nodded his head into the carpet. Allen rolled over so he could stare at the ceiling and watch the fan go around and around. It was at that moment that Cross' phone started ringing...a very inappropriate ringtone.

_Hey, you're crazy bitch_

_But you fuck so good, I'm on top of it_

_When I dream, I'm doing you all night_

_Scratches all down my back to keep me right-_

The phone stopped ringing when Cross answered it. Link gave Cross an incredulous look and looked to Allen, only to see that he wasn't fazed at all by Cross' unnecessary ringtone. He only wondered if that was just Cross' ringtone, or if he set it for a certain person...now that thought, was scary-because Cross did not have _one _lover at a time. Allen was surprised he hadn't died from STD's or AIDS by now. He waited until Cross was on the phone and didn't even bother listening to the conversation. Link seemed a bit suspicious but he didn't speak. The phone snapped shut and Allen looked over that time, seemingly interested all of a sudden.

"Who was that?" Allen asked. Cross narrowed his eyes at Allen.

"You weren't listening?" Cross asked instead of answering.

"Not really, I'm no eavesdropper." Allen replied.

"I'm right here, idiot apprentice, it wouldn't be considered eavesdropping." Cross growled. Allen just shrugged. Link's suspicions had furthered hearing the word _apprentice _come out of Cross' mouth. Why would Allen be considered his apprentice? Just what had Cross been teaching him? Was Cross involved in the Akuma gang and raised Allen-_no, don't jump to conclusions now. _Link told himself. "It's a surprise." Allen's expression changed into shock.

Since when did Cross gather up surprises for people who show up randomly at his house? Was this some kind of 'gift' to Allen for cleaning his house? Allen shook his head. It must be a coincidence. He was already gaining something out of cleaning Cross' house-but that didn't mean that Cross wasn't grateful to Allen, he certainly felt refreshed in his new, clean house...perhaps he should invite Anita over? Cross sighed and waited for Allen to reply to his so-called 'surprise.' He knew Allen was curious, even if Allen didn't look like he was curious Cross _knew _Allen was curious. It was some kind of telepathic thing between Master and Apprentice...or something.

"What do you mean a surprise?" Allen asked, rolling over on his stomach to stare at Cross.

"An old friend is coming over to see you." Cross replied, not showing any signs of doubt in his eyes. Cross was a horrible liar so Allen would be able to tell straight away if he was lying anyways.

"An old friend?" Allen asked. Cross nodded and took a sip of his alcohol after placing the cigarette he was smoking in the ashtray to let it burn out.

"Yup, you probably haven't seen him in..." Cross was moving his head to the side as if he was actually _counting _the years in his head. And Allen knew that Cross was a _horrible _counter. "Ugh, I hate counting...maybe five or six years?" Cross asked. _That's around the time when Mana died, isn't it? _

"You don't mean Suman, do you?" Allen asked cautiously. Cross blinked.

"Who the fuck is Suman?" He asked bluntly. Allen sweat dropped.

"Never mind then..." Allen mumbled. He tried to strain his brain to think of all the people he met after Mana had died and Cross had taken him in. He did remember that they went to India first when Cross took him in. Allen bit his lip, it was just on the tip of his tongue! But who was it?

"By the way, how's Tim doing?" Cross asked.

"He was actually out just recently messing around with another cat but he came back awhile ago." Allen replied, still bashing his mind to remember he met so long ago. Cross smirked at that. _I would totally say this is a 'like father like son' kind of thing...but Timcanpy is a cat...can animals get traits from their owners? Timcanpy does act similar to Cross...hmm..._Allen shook his head to rid him of the pointless thought. He needed to focus on who this mysterious friend was.

"He's probably around your age, maybe one year older." Cross said, adding to his thoughts. That actually only increased the thoughts further and Allen hated it when his mind was full. He always needed to blow off steam after that...but Allen had already cleaned as much as possible, he was even considering on painting the house because of all the scrapes of paint crumbling off the sides. The doorbell rang, cutting off all of their thoughts. Cross took his cigarette that he placed in the tray before and smoked from it. "Why don't you go answer the door, it's probably him." Cross spoke.

"Um, okay." Allen replied. He suddenly got the feeling of nervousness washing over him. He opened the door and was greeted directly with shock. A grin spread across the others face when he saw Allen's look of shock.

"Hey, Allen!" He said, smiling.

"...hi..." Allen answered lamely. Allen just wanted to face palm himself at that moment but felt too shaky and nervous to do so. He just gaped like a fish. The brunette boy chuckled before gently squeezing past Allen into the house. He turned to Cross and gave him a friendly wave. Both the boy and Cross seemed to be amused with Allen's reaction. "...but...wait...I thought you...okay, what's going on?" Allen asked, turning to Cross.

"You thought I what?" The boy asked curiously. Allen blushed at the question. How was he supposed to say that he thought his best friend was dead so they left India?

"Dead. We both thought you were." Cross answered for Allen, seeing as Allen would probably end up saying something stupid.

"Dead?! Why would I be dead?!" He exclaimed.

"Well, your sister died and after that, we didn't see you since. We were told that you were injured by a gang." Cross informed. The nineteen-year-old nodded.

"The Akuma gang, the same people who injured Allen. They found out that I had befriended Allen and acted on their own. They were the ones who killed my sister." The boy muttered. Allen gave him an apologetic look. _...so...does that mean...it's my fault his sister...is dead? _Allen felt so guilty at the moment. It was like he couldn't be around anyone without someone getting hurt. _I guess...it's a good thing Lavi and I aren't friends anymore...they probably would've targeted him too..._Allen thought sadly. "Awe, don't look like that, Allen, it isn't your fault." Allen's friend convinced.

"Who is he?" Link demanded, pointing at Allen. He was tired of not knowing anything. Said _he _felt very offended. _Who does this guy think he is? _He thought.

"My name is Narain, who're you?" Narain asked back rudely, his dark blue eyes turning a menacing shade of expression. Allen frowned. _They're already off on a bad start. _Allen thought. _Now Link's suspicions are even worse because Narain was involved with the Akuma. _Allen sighed. Why had his life suddenly turned upside down and gave him so much stress all of a sudden?

"Link." Link replied curtly. Narain sent a glare Link's way before turning to Allen with a sad smile on his face.

"It's been too long." He said. Allen nodded in agreement. Narain could see the strain in Allen's face. "So." Narain's tone of voice changed, bringing up a new topic. "You're friends with Fou, huh?" Narain asked. Allen gave him a bizarre look.

"How do you know Fou?" He asked, surprised.

"Well you see, after you disappeared, my father had tracked you down to tell you that I was actually...not dead..." Narain said uncertainly. "We ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up in Fou's hometown. I was talking about you to my father and she overheard me. She first started off saying something about my...looks...and then she asked me how I knew you. After awhile, she finally told me where you lived and my father and I started for England...but then our car broke down in the middle of nowhere and we went through many...complications..." Narain explained somewhat confusingly. He didn't understand it himself how he could acquire such bad luck. "And that's why it took forever to get here." Narain concluded and ruffled his own messy brown hair.

"Really? Where are you and your father staying at now?" Allen asked. He started getting his hopes up-even though he knew he shouldn't-that maybe Narain didn't have a house and could stay with him for awhile. He knew he was going to be lonely now that Fou had moved out and...he wasn't exactly friends with Lavi and the others anymore. Narain sighed and wiped the sweat that gathered on his forehead.

"Actually, my father passed away a few weeks ago..." He mumbled somewhat uncomfortably. Allen felt guilt wash over him again.

"O-oh...I'm sorry for bringing it up..." Allen apologized. Narain shook his head.

"Anyways, I contacted Cross through a payphone a few days ago and that's how I ended up here after sheltering at a house nearby. I think his name was Kumio or something." Allen wanted to face palm so hard. One, _it's Komui _and two, he just _had _to shelter at Lenalee's brother's house. Perfect. Just perfect.

"Right, so you have nowhere to stay now?" Allen asked. Link gave Allen a suspicious look but Allen ignored it. He didn't care if he looked suspicious right now. He would trade anything to just not be lonely anymore. He needed the warmth of a friend to lean on and Narain was the only one he could turn to for that.

"Yeah, I heard someone was staying at your house from Cross though." Narain said, staring at Allen cautiously. Allen nodded.

"Fou moved here recently and she didn't have a house yet so she stayed at mine for a month or so. She just moved out today though." Allen informed.

"Really? That's quite a coincidence, don't you think?" Narain asked. Allen gave himself a suspicious look...however that was possible.

"It _is _quite a coincidence, huh? That's weird..." Allen mumbled.

"Well, this is quite a relief for me." Narain sighed in content. "We've got a lot to catch up on." Narain smiled and ruffled Allen's hair. Allen just smiled for once. "So why are you at Cross' house?" Narain asked.

"Cleaning." Allen replied.

"Cleaning?" Narain asked.

"Cleaning." Allen confirmed.

"What for?" Narain asked curiously. Allen seemed a bit iffy on answering that question.

"Just to get things off my mind." Allen replied. He looked over at Cross. "Do you have any paint?" Allen asked the man. Cross nodded towards the garage. Allen stood up.

"Oh! Can I help too?" Narain asked. Allen smiled at him.

"I don't see why not." Allen replied as he walked outside to go to the garage. Unluckily for them, Cross' garage wasn't connected to the house like Allen's was. They didn't complain though and Allen found more than enough paint for the one story house. They got to work almost immediately. After finishing the front-under Link's careful watch-they picked up their materials to start on the sides. Narain decided to strike up a conversation with his own curiosity.

"So...what are you wearing?" Narain asked. Allen looked down and realized that he hadn't changed out of his pajamas from that morning. He blushed a little.

"Oh, today's just a lazy day." Allen mumbled, blushing.

"How is it a lazy day if you're cleaning?" Narain asked, smirking.

"Just hush!" Allen said, shoving him playfully. Narain laughed and they started painting the house. They also used the mini ladders they retrieved from Cross' garage as well.

After conversing in a friendly way with his new found friend, they sprawled out in the backyard together. Allen was so...refreshed. He thought he'd be living a dull life from now on since Lavi was no longer his friend and Fou moved away. Hopefully Narain wouldn't leave him either...Narain was like a brother to him back in India and now. Narain would often help Allen with homework and studying when he schooled in India. So what if Allen wasn't completely involved in Black Order High? It's not like they liked him anyways...but because Narain was focusing on becoming a doctor someday, he could really help Allen out a lot with schoolwork and such.

The joyful aura didn't stay for long.

Allen had a really bad feeling about something. He didn't know what it was, but he knew something bad was about to happen. He sat straight up from where he was laying and laughing with Narain and said teen gave Allen a worried look. Why was Allen so afraid? Allen didn't know how he sensed it, but he _knew _something was wrong. He stood up as calmly as possible and felt his scar tingle as he walked in through the back door of Cross' house. It was completely silent in the house and he was sure he would at least hear Cross' normal ragged breathing he'd strain himself to hear everyday of his life-but it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Narain followed Allen inside and tensed up along with Allen. Now he knew why Allen was so afraid, he felt it too. The house shouldn't be this quiet-and what happened to Link? Wasn't he just watching them a few minutes ago? Allen just wanted to run. He didn't want anymore misery in his life but his gut was telling him to go in the living room and...do something. Was Cross in trouble? Was Link in trouble? What could he do to help? What was happening? Why was everything so quiet? Was...Cross even alive? That thought scared him to death.

"Come on in, boys." They both stiffened when they heard a mysterious voice say from the living room. _No...oh God..._Allen wanted to just run; but he couldn't just leave Cross behind. He was trained to protect people from the threat of The Akuma, not run away from them. Allen looked at Narain with a pained look and Narain returned the look. If they didn't do anything soon though, someone was bound to get hurt. Allen and Narain stepped forward.

"Don't come near, brat! Just get out of here!" Allen stopped when he heard Cross' voice.

"Now, now, you better be quiet or we'll have to kill you." An insane voice sang. Allen bit his lip and stepped forward. He hadn't even entered the living room when he was attacked by a member of The Akuma and thrown against a wall with his neck being squeezed to death.

"Damn it." He heard Cross growl. Narain shouted in surprise when he too had been take hostage. Not as bad as Allen though...they were all being restrained with their hands behind their back. They actually had Cross at gunpoint though. Allen raised his hands to prevent his airway from being obstructed. One of his eyes peeked open from the pain to see who his attacker was. He could barely make anything out though. Link seemed to actually be studying the situation.

"Now that we're all here." The insane voice sang.

"Fuck you." Cross snarled. The insane man seemed to ignore Cross.

"We'll have to see about you revealing the whereabouts of our _favorite _ex-member, ne Red?" The insane man's singing seemed to tone down as he got more serious. Allen just glared wherever he could. There was no way he would tell them. Mana died trying to protect his brother so Allen would too. The man's grip tightened around Allen's throat and he choked. "That isn't the attitude I was hoping for, _Allen." _The man said harshly. He pointed a gun-Cross' gun to be exact-at him. Allen wasn't afraid though. If Mana would die over something he believed in, Allen would too. "You'll tell me where he is, Allen." The man stated.

"Speak up!" The man holding Allen growled, tightening his grip further as if he was actually planning to snap Allen's neck. _So they're not a part of the Akuma after all...I have my evidence..._Link thought. He seemed to bite down on his teeth real hard after that thought. "Or do you want to die?!" He asked as he pulled out a switchblade. Allen's eyes widened in horror at that familiar switchblade. The insane man laughed.

"You know what that is, don't you Allen?" The man giggled maniacally. "We're warning you, Allen." The man laughed as the large man used his other hand to press the cool blade on Allen's chin. Allen's heart rate sped up. "Ah, your scar there is a bit outdated, don't you think?" That was all the man needed to start renewing the scar on Allen's head. Narain shouted at them to stop but neither listened. Allen couldn't scream because of the hand around his throat but his eyes clenched shut in pain and his grip weakened.

"You fuckers." Cross growled at them. "Sadistic bastards!" He shouted. The insane man frowned at him.

"It's his own fault he doesn't want to reveal the whereabouts of his uncle." The man said. Once the large man had successfully carved the filled in pentacle, he dragged the blade down Allen's face roughly, making the small teen cry out in pain.

"...why you..." Narain hissed, trying to break free from his grasp. The man finished the scar and dropped Allen on the floor. Allen curled up and coughed, feeling his throat with his hands. He could barely push himself up and even when he was in a somewhat sitting up position, the large man kicked him down. Allen could feel his ribs cracking and winced.

"Where is he, Allen?" The insane man sang again. Allen was just trying his best to _breathe _at the moment. Even if he could speak, he wouldn't tell them where he's at. The large man started getting impatient and pummeled him with his fists. Allen couldn't even fight back. They all heard a car pull in the driveway.

"Shit!" The large man exclaimed.

"We warned you, Allen. Now you've got to pay." The insane man said seriously, pointing the gun at Cross.

"D-don't!" He could barely make out the hoarse shout. Allen could barely pull himself up. The man just grinned crazily. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the man's fingers pull the trigger. In one swift movement, Leverrier and his troops filed in quickly and arrested the gang. The insane man just laughed manically. Allen coughed up blood as he tried to move. Narain swiftly ran to his side.

"Don't move Allen." Narain cooed.

"C-Cross...what...I...let...go...I h-ha-have to..." Allen looked up and tears automatically streamed down his face when he saw Cross leaning unconsciously against the wall with a bullet wound in his chest. Narain bit his lip and hugged Allen tightly.

"It's okay, Allen, it's okay." Narain tried to reassure him.

"No...I have to..." Allen groaned and clenched his fists. He couldn't even walk. The medics ran in and took Cross out on a stretcher. Allen tried standing up to see Cross, but he couldn't even sit up. All he could do was mourn.

_Please...please don't die on me..._

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**BET YOU GUYS WEREN'T EXPECTING _THAT! _I hope I'm not starting to rush at all :o This just corresponds with my next plan in the story...on a totally different topic, my sister asked me the weirdest question today...she's like 9. I hate her most of the time but she's alright sometimes...anyways...this was how it went: ****Sister: What would you do if someone called you an alien? ****Me: I'd laugh at their face. ****Sister: What would you say? ****Me: Nothing. I would laugh at their face and walk away. ****Sister: You're an alien. ****Me: And you're just kidding. ****Sister: *laughs* -end. Yeah, it was the most random question I've ever been asked before...I think...she can be cool though because I curse in front of her all the time even though my mom says not to curse until I'm 18 (xD) and she doesn't tell on me...she did when she was younger but she learned her lesson after that c; *cough* ahem *cough* anyways...thank you to the 25 voters that voted for the poll and thanks to Shirubagure, Lyokni (I agree! xD), fullmetal96100, Snipperita, MintGreenn, Katie2000, Sooo-Zetta-Slow (A 'candy striper' es alguien que se ofrece a hacer el trabajo en un hospital (sorry if I worded that wrong)), Usagi-Twins, ellarockabella, CsillaDream, smileysparklea, the3leonine, and the guest for reviewing. VoTe FoR ThE PoLL PLeAsE? **

**These AN's are getting too long, sorry :L**


	26. Chapter 26

**I didn't ****_forget _****about Narain (Narein? I like it with an a better xD) I just forgot ****_his name. _****Anyways...after reading the reviews last night (this morning?) I just giggled and desperately wanted to run down and continue the story...but I couldn't...because it was one o' clock in the morning and I had school today-SPEAKING OF SCHOOL! :D Today our main water pipe broke and there was no water whatsoever working. Basically, we couldn't go to the bathroom or drink from the water fountains! xD So school was let out early. I was super excited because I got less homework and I could run home (after getting off the bus of course, lol not literally run home) and write the next chapter! I was thinking of it last night (this morning?) and I had the most best ideas ****_ever. _****Screw you guys and your nonsuggesting tendencies! Just kidding, I love you guys and I'm still open for suggestions xD If you didn't know for the poll (did I really not explain it?! O_O), the poll is a list of 17 stories that I have planned for the future. Whichever story gets the most votes will be the story I start after I finish this one and asdfjkadfj because Mental Ward is still in first place! It's not that I hate the idea, I think it's brilliant...but...I haven't exactly worked on it a lot-I was actually thinking about not putting in on there at all and ****_of course _****you all freaking vote for it xD but yeah so make sure you VoTe FoR ThE PoLL because it is very essential to the next story! ^^ Whoa...really long AN this time. I think that's all...I was basically clearing most of my mind writing this...anyways...yeah...um...crap. Mal-func-tion. Oh well, onto the story I guess (don't I just sound excited? xD (Jkjk I'm ****_really _****excited right now)).**

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Allen tried and tried to reach to the ambulance but Narain wouldn't let him. He understood that Narain was just trying to protect him, but he really _needed _to see if Cross was okay. He already watched Mana die in front of him, he didn't want to see Cross die too. He just...had to be okay. Narain hugged Allen tightly and Allen finally gave up and sobbed on Narain's chest. Narain petted Allen's hair reassuringly. He saw the Link guy walk over with-was that Hitler? Narain shook his head, that wasn't important right now. Link knelt down and gave Narain a serious look.

"Tell him the investigation is over." Link said professionally. Narain nodded dumbly, having no idea what they were talking about. "You should probably take him to the hospital." Link advised. Allen only held onto Narain's shirt tighter and whispered something only Narain could hear.

"No...hospitals. I...hate needles..." Allen whispered. Narain tried his best not to smile and burst into laughter. Of course Allen would say something like that when his life was in danger. Narain simply nodded at Link and waited for him and Hitler to leave.

Once they left, Narain picked up Allen and winced when Allen let out a moan of pain. He walked out the door and headed to Allen's car, keys in hand. He unlocked it and placed Allen in the backseat. He then rushed into the house and dug out nearly everything looking for a first aid kit. He had to hurry or Allen would try and get out and end up injuring himself further. Narain finally found one under the sink in the kitchen and ran to the car, yanking the door open. He crawled in and had sat Allen up.

He winced again at the look of Allen's neck. It was completely bruised all over and had scratches on the sides. He bandaged that up and wrapped Allen's eye up as well. It started bleeding through but Narain knew it would stop soon. He applied gauze to the rest of Allen's scar. He lifted up Allen's shirt and _had _to look away, his hand was hovering itself over his mouth. _Oh my God..._The man wasn't just _hitting _Allen when he pummeled him. He had to have had the knife in his hand from the many deep cuts on Allen's body. Narain took Allen's shirt off and applied ointment to each of the cuts. Allen would flinch away from him at times but he couldn't exactly move away from Narain.

After managing to bandage him up, Narain put Allen's shirt back on him and went inside. He came out with a blanket and covered him with it. He hopped in the front seat and started the car. Luckily, Cross had informed him of Allen's house earlier before he came over. The ride was a bit bumpy thanks to Narain not having much experience with cars and Allen would moan every once in awhile, but Narain had arrived at the house quickly and effectively. Narain stopped the ignition and hopped out, running over to where Allen was laying. He picked Allen up and as quickly as he could, got him into the house.

After getting Allen safely into bed, Narain sat on the edge of the bed. He stared at his best friend worriedly. Allen opened his right eye halfway and looked over at Narain. He grimaced and tried to move. Narain would have none of it though. He gave Allen a warning look and Allen stayed put. _I'm bedridden again...I can't do this anymore..._Allen thought weakly. Narain was bound to take care of him and Timcanpy, but what about money? He had a job that he had to go to tomorrow and he couldn't even _walk. _Narain softly petted Allen's hair to relax him. Allen closed his eyes, even though it only looked like he was closing one. _Is this how Lavi feels I wonder? _Allen's gut sank at the thought of Lavi.

"What's wrong, Allen?" Narain asked softly.

"I...I have...work..." Allen muttered hoarsely. Narain took out Allen's phone that fell out of Allen's pocket earlier and looked for any contacts. He found one near the bottom that just spelled out: Work. Narain called it and started to leave the room. Allen panicked and grabbed onto Narain's hand, squeezing it as much as he could muster.

"It's alright, Allen. I'm just going to leave the room for a little to talk. I'm not going anywhere." Narain reassured. Allen dropped his hand and closed his eyes. Narain heard the phone click and a woman's voice answered.

"HQ here, this is Anita." The woman answered lazily.

"Oh hello...I'm calling on behalf of your employee, Allen?" Narain awkwardly told him.

"Really? I got a call from Lavi about him earlier ago." Anita mumbled, mostly to herself. "Does he need vacation time?" Anita asked.

"How would you know that?" Narain asked suspiciously. Anita narrowed her eyes on the other side of the line.

"Who are you? Let me talk to Allen." She commanded. Narain didn't falter.

"That's kind of what I'm calling you about. You see...we went over to his guardian's house and...stuff happened and now he's seriously injured." Narain informed. Anita's attention snapped quickly and she held the phone close to her ears. Lavi, who was suggesting to work overtime had heard his name and started listening in.

"What's wrong, Anita?" Lavi asked, frowning.

"Not now, Lavi, hush." Anita said. "What's this about Cross?" Anita asked. On the other side of the line, Narain gave the phone a puzzled look.

"This really isn't about Cross, but...he was shot and sent to the hospital. I was going to send Allen too but he didn't want to go to the hospital. I'm taking care of him now actually-"

"Let me talk to him now." Anita demanded, cutting Narain off.

"He can barely talk as it is, Miss Anita, let alone walk." Narain said, a bit annoyed that she had interrupted him.

"How can he not talk? What did someone choke him to death or something?!" Anita exclaimed incredulously. Lavi raised an eyebrow at her. Narain didn't answer for a long time and her eyes widened. She sat back down and calmed her nerves as best as she could.

"...kinda..." Was the boy's response over the phone.

"Just please let me talk to Allen. If he can't talk any further, just take the phone or whatever." Anita waved him off even though he couldn't see it. Narain seemed a bit unsure and Anita could hear the boy talking to Allen over the phone.

"Allen? Do you think you can talk? Some girl named Anita said she wanted to talk to you." Narain said, shaking his head no for Allen to answer.

"I can talk...it just...hurts a bit..." Allen replied hoarsely, rubbing at his throat.

"Hey now, don't rub at it, you'll make it worse!" Narain scolded. Anita placed her hand over her face in a stressful sort of way. Allen just _sounded _weak at the moment. She felt guilty for asking the boy to get Allen to talk. She could hear Allen clear his throat over the line though it sounded more like he was hacking into it.

"Hello?" He asked as normally as he could.

"Allen...can you tell me what happened?" Anita asked. Allen looked at Narain so he could give him privacy to talk. Narain nodded and left the room, understanding.

"Yeah...I was going over to Cross' to...meet with him for something..." Allen paused the first time but Anita could tell he was thinking about his words the next time he paused. The boy seemed to have a problem clearing his throat. "I was outside with Narain-"

"Who's Narain?" Anita asked. Allen didn't answer for a moment.

"He's a childhood friend of mine..." Allen answered, coughing after he was finished. "Anyways, I was outside and I just...had a bad feeling about something...and we went inside and...I...I could tell something was wrong...I just..." She could hear Allen start breathing heavily and his voice seemed to strain up like he was holding back tears.

"Okay, just give the phone back to your friend." Anita told him. Allen paused and rolled towards the door to look through it. Narain hurried over when he saw Allen moving.

"Hey, I told you not to move! You're going to hurt...yourself...are you alright?" Narain asked. His only response was Allen holding the phone out to him as he tried wiping his tears away with his sleeve. Narain took the phone cautiously and walked out of the room again. "What did you ask him?" Narain asked, feeling a bit angered that Allen had started crying over the phone. It had to be something she said...

"He was telling me about what happened...I didn't get to hear the rest of it and I won't ask for the rest of it from you. I'm going to call the hospital to check up on Cross. I'll call Allen back when I get some news about him...he can take off as much time as he needs." Anita said. Lavi disbelievingly stared at her. Anita wasn't soft on anyone and she wouldn't just tell him to let off until he was ready to confront Lavi...there had to be more that was going on. After hanging up, Narain turned to Allen.

"So tell me more about this Lavi character everyone's been talking about." Narain said as he sat on the edge of the bed. He hated the pained expression on Allen's face. "Fou told me a little about him. She said that he was the one who embarrassed you and that caused you to get picked on and then...that caused you to..." Narain stopped, looking at Allen's scarred right arm. He shook his head. "She also told me you loved him at some point." Narain said. Allen nodded his head and frowned. The tears prickling at his eyes were becoming ever the more abundant.

"Yes...I...I loved him now too. After high school ended...and I turned eighteen...I got...a house. He...lives next door...awhile passed and we...became friends. He...doesn't know that I...I...love him...I don't want him to...know. We had a fight today...and he...he isn't...he doesn't trust me as much as...I thought he did. So we're...not friends anymore..." Allen said with pauses in between to let his throat get accustomed to speaking. Narain stood up angrily. "...I'm..glad he's not...my friend though...it...it hurt too much to think that he only valued me...as a friend...and...the Akuma would go after him if...if..." Allen trailed off. It was hard to say anymore. Narain nodded.

"I get it Allen. Just rest easy now. Do you want me to call Fou and tell her-"

"No...please don't call her...I...she has her own life to hold up...I don't want to burden her..." Allen said in a hushed whisper. His throat was worn out from the conversation.

Allen really just wanted to cry. He wanted to cry for Cross. He wanted to cry for Mana. He wanted to cry for Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda, who he most likely won't talk to again. He wanted to cry for Narain too. But he knew that he couldn't just cry over nothing. Sure, crying was proof that you're only human but Allen had had enough of crying. Despite his thoughts, tears leaked out of his eyes anyways. He wanted all the pain to go away, he wanted all his problems to be solved, he didn't want to be a mess of emotions anymore. He wanted to live his life how he wanted to, he didn't want to be as miserable as he was in high school. Narain probably knew about that too, but that isn't the point here. He just wanted to feel alive again. Lavi made him feel alive, but he couldn't turn to Lavi anymore.

So what was he supposed to do now?

"Allen, what's wrong?" Narain asked comfortingly. Allen shook his head and wiped his tears.

"I just...I don't want to live like this...anymore." Allen said, covering his face.

"What do you mean?" Narain asked, rubbing Allen's arm in a soothing way.

"It's just...so stressful. I...I don't understand why my life has to be so...so messed up. I just want to live a normal life...not one filled with misery and...freakish qualities." Allen sobbed. Narain smiled sadly at Allen and turned the light off. He covered Allen up with the comforter.

"Just rest now, Allen. I promise I'll help you, okay?" Narain said. Allen stared at him and looked away guiltily. He didn't want to pile his problems onto someone else.

"I'm sorry..."

"There's nothing to be apologizing for, Allen. I _want _to help you. You're like the little brother I never had." Narain said, ruffling Allen's hair gently. "Just don't worry about it and rest now, okay?" Narain said, smiling serenely. Allen closed his eyes and pulled the blanket closer to him, clearing his mind and falling asleep.

Narain walked downstairs and sat on the couch. _What to do now? _Narain wondered. His attention was caught by a few boxes on the floor. Narain stood up and walked over to them. Narain opened the boxes and was surprised when he saw lots of videotapes. He looked at the side that had not very specific labels and dates on them. It struck his curiosity. He took a random one and played it in the VCR. Little brown haired Allen appeared on the screen and Narain could instantly tell it was him.

"Well, well, well, what's this?" Narain asked, smirking.

They were in the car and Allen was sitting in the backseat, looking around and out the window at times. He looked very curious at the moment but he didn't say anything. He would mumble along with the radio but he didn't necessarily sing. It had been a minute whenever his curiosity ate at him and he had to ask the question on his mind. It was one of the older tapes, probably a few months after Mana and Neah had picked him up. Neah loved to videotape Allen though and Mana would just go along with it.

"Mana, where us going?" Allen asked. Mana's eye twitched. He was going to go crazy if Allen didn't get some speaking lessons soon.

"We're going to some speech lessons." Mana told him.

"I talk wrong?" Allen asked, looking a bit hurt. Narain face palmed.

"Um, no. It's just your grammar, Allen." Mana lied. He couldn't hurt the boy's feelings now.

"Is not grammar is cracker?" Allen asked, frowning. Neah couldn't help but snort as Mana's eye started twitching again.

"No, Allen, that's called a graham cracker. Grammar is...well, you'll see." Mana said, getting a bit impatient with Allen. What was really weird though was that Allen could sing lyrics to a song _perfectly _but he couldn't talk like that. It irked Mana to no bounds and he was on a two hour drive just to get Allen some lessons with his speaking and grammar.

"Why you sing, Mana?" Allen asked. Mana looked at Allen with a bizarre expression on his face. He slowly his car to a stop and looked at Neah. A sudden idea popped up into his head.

"Hey Allen, you hear how I sing right? It's like talking normally right?" Mana asked. Allen nodded his head slowly as if he was a bit uncertain with the way Mana worded his words.

"Yes. What called it?" Allen asked.

"It's called..." Mana looked over at Neah. Neah looked back.

"Speaking." Neah supplied.

"Sea king?" Allen questioned with a bizarre look on his face. Neah chuckled.

"No, speaking." Neah corrected.

"Peaking? Allen asked. Both Neah and Mana's eye twitched. Narain grinned at them.

"Speaking. S-peaking. Spea-king." Mana narrowed it down.

"Speaking." Allen said.

"Yes!" Both Neah and Mana cheered. Allen smiled at the praise.

"So. If I speak, I talk?" Allen asked. Mana nodded his head quickly.

"Yes, don't sing, just speak." Mana said anxiously. Would this actually work? It sounded ridiculous...but maybe...just maybe...

"Oh, okay, why didn't you just say so?" Allen asked. Their jaws dropped.

_It actually worked. _They all thought together.

The video cut off and Narain rewound the tape and placed it safely back in the box. There were a few soft knocks on the door and Narain opened the door up. The person in front of him had wild red hair that was kept in a green and black bandanna, and he had an eye patch over one of his eyes, the other eye shone a deep but bright green full of wisdom. He looked like a good person...but who knew.

"Who are you?" He asked curiously.

"My name is Narain." Narain introduced himself. "What's yours?"

"Narain, huh? Where's Link?" Lavi asked, ignoring Narain's previous question. Narain felt a little annoyed but he didn't say anything.

"Link? You mean that guy that was following Allen around every-" Narain gasped, remembering when Link told him to tell Allen some investigation was over. "Shoot." Narain said, hitting his forehead.

"Um, yeah, that guy." Lavi said uncertainly.

"He left." Narain said.

"Really? So him and Allen aren't dating anymore?" Lavi asked somewhat hopefully, but Narain didn't see it. He gave Lavi the most odd look ever.

"Who are you?" Narain asked.

"Uh...do I have to answer that?" _Allen obviously told him about me..._Lavi thought to himself. Narain gave him a suspicious look.

"Okay, then why are you here?" Narain asked. Lavi sighed.

"Okay, okay, okay, you caught me." Lavi said, holding his hands up in defeat. "Names Lavi, and I'm here to see Allen about...something..." Narain's eyes widened from the time his name was said.

"So you're Lavi, huh?" Narain asked, cracking his knuckles below view and smiling sweetly at Lavi. _Jeez, this guy's like Allen when he's angry, just look at that smile man. Allen does the exact same thing! _Lavi thought.

"Heh, yeah, um..." Lavi hesitated, looking at the porch to see Lenalee raising her fist in the air. "I came to um...apologize..." Lavi said.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" Narain asked.

"A lot." Lavi answered, looking anywhere but the threatening brunette. Narain put his hand on his hip.

"Specifically?"

"Well...I...I had a problem...trusting him..." Lavi muttered weakly. Narain pulled Lavi in and slammed the door. Lavi started freaking out when Narain shoved him into a wall.

"How could you possibly _not _trust him?!" Narain asked.

"I just...didn't want to...reveal..." Lavi trailed off, looking away from Narain's angry blue eyes.

"Reveal what? Do you seriously think he didn't trust you? How much do you know about him?" Narain demanded more than asked.

"Well...I know about his arm...and his father died..." Lavi mumbled.

"His father didn't just _die__, _Lavi. He was _murdered. _And you know how? He was murdered right in front of Allen's eyes!" Narain snarled. Lavi's eyes widened but he still didn't look at Narain. They were interrupted when Allen's phone went off. Narain blinked and his glare dissolved into a frown. He let go of Lavi and looked at Allen's phone to see that 'Work' was calling. He turned around, sending one last glare at Lavi before answering the phone. "Hello?" Narain greeted.

"Oh, it's you again." Anita's own voice sounded a bit strained now. Narain had a bad feeling about this.

"Is he...okay?" Narain asked worriedly.

"They said they're not sure if he'll survive or not." Anita said.

"Okay...I'll pass on the news." Narain said.

"...thank you for telling me." She said quietly.

"No problem at all." Narain said, smiling kindly. _Why...why do they look so...similar? _Lavi asked himself, staring at Narain's kind smile. Narain hung up and turned to deal with Lavi. He saw confusion on the older's face. Narain blinked. "What?"

"How do you know Allen?" Lavi asked.

"Oh, we grew up together for a little when we were younger..." Narain said. He paused and held up a finger to silence Lavi's next words. Was he just hearing things? He swore he heard a noise upstairs.

"...what-"

"Sh!" Narain hissed, putting the finger on his lips. Narain put the phone away and looked up the stairs with a serious expression on his face. He didn't see Allen...did he not hear creaking upstairs? Was it just his imagination? Was he just paranoid? "...he can't walk...am I hearing things?" Narain whispered to himself. _Who can't walk? He doesn't mean..._Lavi's eyes widened.

"Hey..." Lavi tugged on Narain's shirt. Narain turned to glare at him until he saw the worried look on Lavi's face. He looked completely honest about the feelings too. "Is he okay?" Lavi asked. He was surprised to see a mutual feeling on Narain's face.

"I don't know..." Narain didn't tell him to stay there, but he didn't tell him to follow him either as he walked up the stairs quietly. Narain gave a small knock on Allen's door. "Allen?" Narain asked into the door. Narain's throat tightened and he was starting to get really worried. He peeked through the crack he made and his eyes widened. Door forgotten, Narain was at Allen's side in seconds. Lavi froze at the sight. Allen was gripping at the bandages in his hair and there were more than just bandages on his head. He even had some on his neck and arm. _What...happened?! _The most shocking appearance was the tear that was trailing out of Allen's bandage on his left eye. It wasn't just any normal tear either.

It was blood.

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**I apologize deeply. I started writing this at like freaking 11! And it's like 3 now! I was so distracted :l Freaking YouTube does that to you. I was only looking up a song on YouTube because it randomly popped up in my head and then I kept on clicking on different videos and found myself in the 'Living a Transgender Childhood' section...I don't...I don't even _know _anymore D: But I found some decent songs to add to my collection on my phone xD Not telling you! Why? c; you'll just have to see about that! I also got distracted with laundry. I just...don't even...whatever. Next time I'l be more focused-promise! ^^' Well, thank you to the 26 voters and Lyokni, Shirubagure, NoName-chan, Katie2000, xXxPhantomxXx, axis. powers.2013, and Guest .Meh XD (XD) for reviewing! ^^**


	27. Chapter 27

**Uh, yeah, sorry for not updating. I guess I'll simply say how my week went since I didn't tell you about it through a story update (like I'm doing now xD). Friday we had a Football game, away, which we lost (no surprise there! We've been losing since the second game) and I wanted to tell one of my friends about my sexuality (bi or "gay" as she loves to put it) and I couldn't do it because I was a chicken so I had my best friend do it xD After the game ended, we went straight to Columbus (a city that's an hour away from where I live) and I went to sleep and HOLY COW THOSE BEDS WERE COZY! Yeah, and then the next day we went to the zoo and went swimming, where we found a birthday balloon on the ceiling. My mom's boyfriend got it down and I inhaled the helium inside it to make my voice squeaky (yes, it does work you just have to inhale (breathe it in) it and you sound like a chipmunk). It was so fun lol. The next day we went to the mall to just waste 2 hours of our life and then had a lazy day and then went home. I got a freaking miniature panda bear and it's so freakin' cute. I can't stop staring at it...so cute. So yeah...I gotta update my poll results now :3 Btw, if you're wondering how to vote, just click on my name and my profile will pop up. It's at the top and just click on the 'vote**' **or whatever button is there and you can vote up to six choices. DAMN that AN was long lol. This is what happens when I can't update in a day...oh yeah, while we were in Columbus, I took a short video of myself being stupid and lip syncing Angel by Shaggy with sunglasses on...you have no idea how hard it was to brush my hair after that D: I have also made two Laven slideshow videos that I think aren't that bad. Go on my profile for the links to my Laven videos if ya want ^^ So yeah, I'll just stop here and get back to the story! (AN = 395 Words)**

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Lavi didn't know what to do. Don't get him wrong, he wanted to help Allen; but because him and Allen hadn't made up and he didn't want to cause him to have an emotional breakdown. Lavi was ultimately stuck. He clenched his fists at his sides. _Now isn't the time. _Lavi thought. _The right time will come soon enough. _Lavi finished his thoughts somewhat angrily. All he wanted to do was run up and hug Allen, but Allen told him not to come back and he still did. He could only confuse Allen further or end up giving the poor kid a anxiety attack.

"Damn it, Allen." Lavi mumbled. He turned around and walked downstairs, speed walking to the house and once he entered, he slammed the door behind him. Lenalee and Kanda's head snapped towards Lavi, who was covering his face with his right hand and leaning against the wall.

"Lavi?" Lenalee asked worriedly. "Are you alright?" In response to the question, Lavi slammed his left fist into the wall beside him. Lenalee jumped and stared at the newly made hole in the wall. "Did it not go well?" Lenalee asked, predicting that she already knew the answer to that question. Lavi sighed.

"Not now." Lavi whispered and stood there quietly for about five minutes before he stormed to his room, slamming the door behind him.

_God damn he's just making me feel so damn guilty. I knew his father died...but did Narain really have to go so far as to tell me that? And what the hell happened to him anyways? He was all banged up and I'm just going crazy thinking about this! Ugh, I need to take a break..._Lavi thought and fell onto his bed. He looked around and picked up one of his unfinished books Allen had bought for him. That didn't make it any easier to read. Suddenly, like it did every time, memories came back to him full force. These memories were usually ones of what happened when he got drunk off of whiskey. He never told anyone about remembering them because telling them about it would just make him feel all the more guilty for doing it...and the memories he just remembered...were horrible.

_They were coming back from the pub and Lavi could feel Allen holding him over his shoulder, supporting him. It was like Lavi was reliving the memories...just like every other time he got drunk on whiskey. Allen was telling him that he'd just drop him off at his house and then go home. He warned Lavi to take some painkillers in the morning too. After Allen dragged him out of the back seat over the shoulder and into the house, he heard Kanda grunt. Allen greeted Kanda. The confusion in Allen's voice when Kanda said his 'I don't care what you two do...' statement, Lavi could hear the confusion in Allen's voice as he questioned what Kanda meant. Kanda just che'd of course and left. Lavi inwardly prayed that he didn't leave, that he would stop him right now. _

_Allen dragged Lavi to the room and turned off the light for, what Lavi guessed, him to go to sleep. Just when Allen was letting Lavi down on the bed, Lavi felt himself drag Allen on the bed. Allen's face seemed panicked as Lavi felt himself lowering to connect their lips together. Allen whispered his name and Lavi had silenced him. After moving his tongue into Allen's mouth, Lavi could feel Allen pushing his knees against his stomach. Lavi's hand automatically moved to push Allen's knees down. After separating, Lavi and Allen panted together and Lavi nibbled on Allen's lip anxiously. Allen looked away from him as to make him stop. _

_"Lavi, s-stop..." When Lavi heard Allen's weak voice, he tried to stop himself-he really did. But since it was a memory, it wasn't working out too well. Lavi dove in for another kiss while Allen was focusing on Lavi's hand, which was starting to make him feel violated. Lavi's hand found it's way on Allen's bottom and Lavi couldn't help but blush. Did he really just do that? Allen moved upwards, away from the hand and Lavi's clouded mind took it differently, causing his hand to clench harder. He heard Allen gasp and flushed again. Did Allen really have to make those noises? _

_"Mm..." Lavi found himself moaning and blushed even harder at the memory. He seriously just moaned in front of Allen, didn't he? How embarrassing. After his hand had finished violating Allen's butt, it moved up Allen's shirt and he saw the younger biting his lip when his body automatically reached to give him kisses from his jaw line to his neck. That wasn't it though. Now Lavi knew how he had given Allen that hickey before. Allen seemed to not be able to hold it in anymore and moaned. _

_"S-stop! L-L-Lavi y-you need to s-stop now!" Lavi could feel Allen trying to get away but Lavi felt his hands firmly pinned against Allen's wrists. Lavi's hands still moved around Allen's chest, despite the younger teen's effort. "Stop!" He heard the younger shout seriously. He was trying to wiggle away and for some reason, Lavi seemed annoyed at that. Lavi felt his hand reach towards Allen's pants and even Lavi started freaking out then. He couldn't have done what he was thinking he did, did he? Lavi wanted to stop when he saw tears fall down Allen's face. He wanted to stop so bad, but he couldn't. "Please stop, Lavi..." Lavi nearly jumped for joy when Kanda interrupted and told Allen to get away._

_After Allen left, Kanda ran out of the room-and Lavi didn't blame him either-and locked the door from the outside. Lavi had felt frustrated and eventually gave up after banging on the door a few times. Lavi walked over to the bed and angrily covered himself up with the comforter, sending papers and books flying everywhere. Lavi would've laughed at himself had he not felt so guilty._

_Well shit. _Lavi thought as he replayed the memory in his mind. For Allen to be able to look at Lavi again after that was a miracle-in Lavi's point of view. Hey, the kid had actually started crying-for what reasons, Lavi was unsure. He was sure that Allen liked him at least a little, so then why would he be crying over this? Unless...he felt that Lavi wouldn't really do this if he wasn't drunk..._maybe I should prove him wrong? _Lavi thought questioningly. _No, no, I don't want to scar him-bad perverted Lavi, go away perverted Lavi..._Lavi told himself. He really did feel guilty though...and was cursing his lower half at the moment.

He'd really have to take care of this problem.

* * *

Narain had concluded a few things about Allen's situation at the moment. One, he had a nightmare. Two, it was about Lavi. And three, he was hurting and not just physically either. Lavi had obviously been a big influence in Allen's life and affected his mood quite greatly according to Fou. Narain had ended up calling Fou, but only to talk to her about Lavi. He didn't tell her anything that had happened just awhile ago as Allen slept again. However, Allen woke up again and he seemed to be in even more pain than when he first woke up. So Narain hung up on Fou and started talking to Allen about his nightmare. Given that Allen told him everything and wouldn't tell him about the dream, Narain would say it was pretty serious. So instead, he decided to bring up a different topic.

"Allen, how do you feel about Lavi?" Narain asked. Allen, who was staring at his feet, looked up at Narain's question. He had a small frown on his face, as if he was curious about how Narain had even known about Lavi.

"...what do you know about Lavi?" Allen asked.

"Well, I just know that you two are really good friends-"

"No." Allen said, cutting off Narain's statement. Narain went quiet, waiting for Allen to explain. "We _were _friends...but I...I don't want to be his friend anymore..." Allen mumbled.

"What happened between you two?" Narain asked.

"...he doesn't trust me..." Allen whispered. Narain didn't ask him about that any further.

"Okay, so why don't you want to be his friend anymore?" Narain asked.

"Because...the Akuma will target him if they learn about him...I...I wouldn't have been your friend either if I knew that they...that they would...I...I'm so sorry, Narain..." Allen's voice cracked at his last statement and Narain could see tears in his eyes. "I've...I've caused you...so much trouble..." He mumbled hoarsely. Narain smiled at him.

"That's just something I have to deal with Allen, and being your friend is worth all that trouble." Narain said. Allen only seemed to start sobbing after Narain said that.

"I...I'm not worth all...that trouble..." Allen said. Narain noticed these statements from anywhere and looked at Allen cautiously.

"Don't think like that Allen." Narain said seriously, staring down at his right wrist where Allen had injured himself before. "You're worth it. People care about you because you're a good person, don't go saying stupid shit like that." Narain said, cursing for the first time in front of Allen.

"I-I'm s-sorry..." Allen muttered and looked away, ashamed. This was how Allen acted when he felt depressed and had _those _thoughts. _It's official...I can't leave him alone right now or who knows what he'll do. _But as life hated Allen, Narain (Allen's phone?) got a call from the hospital, recommending that someone close to him be there. Narain had no choice but to leave Allen. He couldn't have Fou come over or she would see Allen, she couldn't have the neighbors come over because they weren't very friendly towards each other right now, and he had no clue who to call.

"Allen, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Narain said comfortingly. Allen looked up at him with dull eyes. "Don't...don't do anything stupid okay? You know what I mean. I have to go, but I'll be back later, alright? Just rest easy and _stay _in bed. I won't be gone for that long and I'll get you some food but please stay in bed, alright?" Allen swallowed nervously and nodded his head. Narain nodded and ran downstairs quickly to make Allen a few sandwiches and ran back up. He put them on Allen's bedside table and patted them. Allen nodded. Narain put his number in Allen's phone. "Call me if something comes up, alright?" Narain asked before giving Allen his phone. Allen nodded shortly. He didn't want to be left alone right now, but he had to deal with it...

"O-okay..." Allen mumbled and buried himself under his covers. Narain kissed his forehead and turned off the light before leaving the house altogether. He just took Allen's car since he wouldn't be needing it anyways.

After arriving at the hospital, Narain went to go see Cross. The nurses directed him down the creepy, clean hallways until they stopped outside room G5. Narain felt like they labeled their hospital off of Bingo or something there for a minute but there's no such thing as G5. _That's not the point, Narain, come on get your head together. _Narain thought quite humorously. He walked into the room to see Cross in a hospital bed, smoking a cigarette. Narain sweat dropped. _I thought they didn't allow smoking in here? _He thought. He shrugged it off and went to sit beside Cross.

"What happened with Allen?" Cross asked seriously.

"He's in pretty bad shape right now, but he's resting." Narain informed.

"Alone?" Cross asked. Narain sighed.

"I didn't want to leave him alone...but I had no choice...Allen and his neighbors are not on good terms at the moment..." Narain said. Cross grumbled something incoherent under his breath. Narain just ignored whatever he said.

"I don't trust leaving that boy alone. I know it sounds bad-" Insert cough here. "-but he just does something stupid all the time." Cross growled.

"I know, I told him to call me if something goes wrong." Narain said, waving his phone. Cross nodded and looked out the window. "...how...how are you feeling?" Narain asked.

"Like shit." Cross replied honestly. "I modified the damn gun myself and it's no joyride to be shot with it. Damn bastard, using my own weapon against me...I should've kicked his ass. He even beat Allen in front of me, god I wanted to just...ugh..." Cross ranted. Narain smiled, he thought it was kinda cute the fact that Cross actually had a heart unlike how he pretended.

"I heard that...they said they didn't know if...you were going to..." Narain trailed off.

"Shut the hell up, I'm fine. God damn, tell Allen that and he'll have a fucking heart attack." Cross grumbled, taking another smoke. Narain laughed.

"No, I told him you were fine." Narain reassured.

"Good. Don't need to put anymore stress on that boy, and you say he's not very friendly with dumb nuts next door? That isn't good. His fucking fault the boy started his habits in the first place." Cross mumbled. Narain blinked and stared at what Cross said suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously. Cross sighed. He hated explanations.

"Well you see, Allen had this nickname back in high school. They all called him beansprout and it wasn't just because of his height either. His freshman year, Lavi did something stupid and ended up embarrassing the kid in front of the whole school-"

"What did he do?" Narain interrupted. This was exactly why Cross hated explanations. People just _loved _to interrupt him! Cross glared at him. "Sorry...continue..."

"He was trying to get his grandfather with a bucket of steaming beansprouts and Allen walked in instead. Fast forwarding through his life, Allen had been bullied, teased, picked on, shoved, you name it, for the next four years of his life. It was insane, he was coming home with new bruises everyday. I went out one night and when I came back...blood was just, everywhere. Allen had started his little habit and stopped near the end of school. He's never told this to Lavi though because...I don't know why he didn't tell him...maybe you can tell him-show him what he did was wrong-but I think Lavi already knows that. So yeah, that's basically what happened." Cross explained.

"When you say beat up...how extreme...?" Narain was almost afraid to ask...

"I mean fucking got the shit beat out of him. I knew he could fight back too. He came home with fucking black eyes and cuts and all that fun shit or whatever." Cross growled. "I told him I'd shoot someone if I had to but that brat's just too god damn nice for his own good." Cross finished with a blow of his smoke.

Narain felt infuriated.

It was all Lavi's fault Allen had almost killed himself. He would make sure that Lavi would know about what he did. Allen deserved an apology and he wanted to _see _Lavi apologize. He knew Allen would just end up protecting Lavi about it so he had to do it when Allen wasn't around...or when he was sleeping, that was good too. So, from then on, Cross and Narain talked and talked about Allen and his sorrowful past so that Narain could get an idea of what to watch out for when he started living with Allen. He was happy though, that he finally found his friend again. That happiness would soon disintegrate when he got a call from Allen, interrupting his and Cross' conversation. From the way Allen sobbed on the phone and apologized over and over again he knew...

Allen had done it again.

"I'll be over there, just calm down and don't do anything else, okay?" Narain asked. "Alright, bye." Narain shoved his phone in his pocket angrily. Cross growled as he stared out the window.

"Go ahead and leave, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Go make sure that idiot doesn't do something stupid." Cross said shortly. Narain nodded and _sprinted _out of the hospital.

He didn't care if he was speeding as he drove back to Allen's house. He didn't care that he attracted attention by pulling into Allen's driveway loudly and screeching the tar while tearing up the gravel. He didn't care that he burst through the door loud enough to drive Timcanpy up a wall. All he cared about right now was Allen. He found the boy sobbing in the kitchen and was at his side in seconds.

"Damn it, Allen." Narain whispered as he stared at all the blood. He took the bloodied kitchen knife away from Allen's hand and slung the object away.

"I-I-I-I'm s-so-so s-sorry, I...I..." Allen just shook his head. He hated himself right now. Narain drew him into a hug, ignoring all the blood that was spreading on his shirt. He made sure to put pressure on Allen's wrist and hushed the boy.

"Sh...it's okay, Allen, it's okay..." Narain felt like he was hushing a crying baby that mourned for it's mother; but Allen felt so defeated and Narain didn't blame him at all for what he had done.

Allen was under too much stress and he shouldn't have left him alone. After the bleeding had gone down somewhat, Narain left to retrieve a first aid kit. He came back and cleaned Allen's wrist before wrapping a clean bandage around it. Allen was sniffling loudly and tears were still pouring out. He felt so ashamed of himself. He was eighteen, he was an adult. He shouldn't have done something so cowardly like this. He sat on the floor quietly as Narain cleaned up the mess of blood...Narain made sure to keep an eye on him and the knife at all times. Narain picked the knife up and threw it into the sink. Allen's tears came back when he saw Narain pick up the knife with disgust. Narain didn't mean any harm by it...

"Don't worry, Allen, okay? Everything is going to be okay, alright?" Narain asked. Allen just cried and shook his head.

"I...I don't want...to be alone, Narain...I...I'm sorry...I just...feel so...helpless...and...weak...and..." Allen mumbled, his throat was still affected by the man's harsh grasp.

Narain picked Allen up and carried him to his room. He laid Allen on the bed and tucked him in. He kissed Allen on the forehead again and started petting his hair. He wasn't going to ask how Allen had come into contact with the knife yet...he would save that for when Allen was ready. He actually really wanted to know how Allen was able to get up out of bed and get downstairs without falling. His stomach dropped as he pictured an injured Allen falling down the stairs. Narain felt Allen's body slowly ease up as he fell asleep. _That's it...I'm going to settle this fight between Allen and Lavi once and for all..._Narain thought bitterly and stood up. He stormed out of the house and into Lavi's without any permission. He didn't even see Lenalee or Kanda sitting on the couch as he stormed in. All he saw was Lavi, who looked like he was in the middle of explaining something. Lavi wasn't explaining anything anymore when Narain threw him up against the wall. Lavi wasn't the only one freaking out.

"Whoa, man, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Lavi asked.

"It was _your _fault! I fucking knew it was your fault he started that!" Narain could help but shout.

"Wh-what?" Lavi mumbled. He was afraid of what Narain meant...he saw the scars before, but he didn't want to accept that it was his fault...it just couldn't be...

"Hey, now, I don't know who you are but...I don't think you should just...um...come in here and start proclaiming things..." Lenalee said, trying to put things nicely.

"Sorry there, Lee, but I'm not just _proclaiming _things here. I'm truly pissed off." Narain said, implying this through his actions of clenching onto Lavi's shirt tighter.

"Lee...how do you know my last name?" She asked quietly.

"Long story short I know your brother but that's not the point right now." Narain growled.

"Hey, fucker, I don't know why the hell you're pissed at the baka Usagi; but if it's about Moyashi, I'm sure it's not his fault." Kanda put in his input.

"Not his fault. Oh, so what you're saying is that Allen didn't develop his little habit because of Lavi?" Narain asked, dropping Lavi to the ground.

"What...habit?" Lenalee asked, narrowing her eyes cautiously.

"He was fucking cutting himself, what other habit could I be talking about?!" Narain yelled. Lenalee's eyes widened and she stared at Narain in shock before putting her hand over his mouth.

"He was..." She murmured.

"Oh yeah, I heard all about that dumb ass prank you guys pulled-" Narain started but Kanda cut him off.

"What the hell does the prank have to do with anything-" Kanda started but Narain cut him him off likewise.

"It has _everything _to do with it! _Because _of your stupid prank, Allen got the shit beat out of him everyday!" Narain said, threateningly holding Kanda up by the shirt. And not just anyone could hold Kanda up by his shirt, let alone get away with it.

"...what did you say?" Lavi asked quietly. "...you're...you're lying...right? This...this is just a joke...right?" Lavi asked hopefully.

"Would I be here right now if it was?" Narain retorted. Lavi sat there on the ground and yanked at his hair, blurting a certain curse word over and over and over again.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Lavi said, shaking his head. "Fuck." He said, dropping the F bomb. "God damn it..."

_A little joke that went too far. _That sentence just made everything all the more painful. So painful that Lavi could actually feel tears prickling at his eyes. Ever since Lavi was kicked out of his house with his parents, he didn't remember shedding a single tear after that. This was just too much though. Allen _suffered _for him. Allen _suffered _because of him. Allen _suffered; _and it was _his _fault. Lavi held his hand to his eyes to prevent himself from crying. Narain dropped Kanda, finally seeing that Lavi had understood just what he had done.

"...hey..." Lenalee muttered, getting Narain's attention. Narain looked at her to see that she was staring down at the floor and her bangs were covering up her saddened violet eyes. She seemed more concerned with something else at the moment though, eyeing Narain's shirt. "...are you hurt? You've...got...blood all over you..." Lenalee mumbled. This attracted Kanda and Lavi's attention. They were both shocked when they saw the pained look on Narain's face. He looked outright miserable.

"It's not my blood."

* * *

**Suspense is my specialty! I love all your reactions to my cliffhangers, they make me giggle xD I truly am too cruel to you guys. Yay, I updated! At like...1 in the morning...yeah...but I'm still happy! :D I have freaking 231 reviews on this story! You guys have _no idea _how happy I am at that. That is 101 more reviews than I usually would have! I'm like super psyched! I hope I'll be able to go to bed after this! Maybe I should just cuddle with my Pikachu...yeah, that'll work ^^' Thanks bunches to NoName-chan, Lyokni, Shirubagure, bookspazz55, MintGreenn, midnightstardust, Clueless4You, shadow. anei, Usagi-Twins, fullmetal96100, Guest03, AnGell012, ellarockabella, smileysparklea (LOL), the3leonine, Kinue, Snipperita, Guest Eh, and mooneclyps for reviewing-YAY new reviewers! :DD I'm sooooo happy! You guys are making me blush with all your compliments ^/^ Sorry if I add a space to your name, it's not because I don't know it, it's because I know the word document will cut some of your name off if it has a period in it. Anyways, I'm still taking suggestions oh and one last thing! (this must be a trademark for this story or something xD) VoTe FoR ThE PoLL!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hah, I can only imagine how pissed off my FMA readers are right now xD My inspiration for FMA right now though is a dud so I can't write it so boo hoo for them! Lol just kidding, I'll update my FMA stories when I can get back into it but for now, it's DGM...is it bad that all I do all day when I get home from school is sit around and write? Like, I know it's awesome and all...but I feel so lazy!**

* * *

"What do you mean it isn't your blood?" Lavi asked somewhat quietly. Something suddenly hit him. Why else would Narain come over, yelling at Lavi about Allen cutting himself unless... "Allen didn't..." Lavi started. Hearing Allen's name, Narain panicked. He almost forgot that Allen was completely alone at the house. He needed to make sure Allen was asleep.

"I have to go." Narain said quickly and exited the house before any of the young adults could say or ask anything else. Narain entered Allen's house, not noticing the new vehicle in the driveway. As he quietly tip toed up the steps, his heart was racing. Narain opened Allen's bedroom door and was instantly surprised. Fou was standing there with a sorrowful look on her face as she gazed down at the unconscious boy. She was gently rubbing her thumb against the bandage on Allen's wrist he had put on just moments ago.

"Why...didn't...?" She shook her head. Narain sighed and sat on the bed next to Allen.

"You know how he is, Fou. He doesn't want you to worry about him and his problems..." Narain answered her unasked question as he smiled sadly while petting Allen's hair gently.

"What _happened?_" She asked, looking at all his bandages.

"The Akuma." Narain explained bitterly. "They nearly killed Cross too."

"And Link?" Fou asked. Narain gave her a confused frown.

"Why does everyone keep asking about him?" Narain asked, really curious now. A blank expression covered Fou's face.

"Uh...no reason-forget I said anything." _So they're not together? What the hell is going on?!_ Fou wondered frustratingly. She sighed and stood up.

"Where-"

"I only came to check on him. I've got to get to my new job soon. See ya later, Narain." She said, smiling. "Take care of him for me." Her and Narain both gave each other a hug goodbye before Fou shut the door. The house became quiet after Narain heard the door slam. He sighed and looked twice at Allen's bandages. He stood up off the bed and went to get some supplies. Once he returned, he heard the doorbell ring. Narain sighed and stood up once again and walked downstairs. He answered the door to see Lavi and the others. Narain let out a huge sigh.

"What are you guys-"

"I just..._we_ just want to see if he's okay." Lavi mumbled, staring down at his hands. "We won't cause any trouble and I promise we won't be seen by him!" Lavi persuaded. Narain sighed again.

"Fine, I was just about to change his bandages anyways, come in." Narain said and moved aside for them to pass through.

Narain could feel the nervousness pulsing through all of them...except Kanda...he didn't seem to really want to be here at the moment. Narain held a finger over his lips as he tip toed upstairs. He peeked in Allen's room to see that Allen still hadn't moved an inch. Narain really didn't want to wake Allen up because he looked so peaceful...but he had to. He chuckled when he saw Lavi and the others climb into Allen's closet. Kanda was mumbling something crude and Lenalee was shushing the both of them. Narain shook his head, smiling, and turned on the light. Allen reacted almost immediately and pulled the blanket over his eyes.

"Allen, you need to get up for a little bit." Narain told him.

"Turn the light off..." Allen whined.

"Will you get up?" Narain asked. He could see Allen nod his head through the comforter. He turned the light off and Allen sneaked out from under the blanket to look at Narain. "Are you feeling alright?" Narain asked. Allen still felt guilty about earlier and looked sideways.

"I'm feeling fine." Allen mumbled.

"Your injuries?" Narain asked, he was surprised the trio in the closet we're so quiet.

"They hurt a bit, but I'm okay." Allen muttered.

"Let me see them." Narain demanded softly. Allen only seemed to clench onto the comforter tighter.

"I can do it..." Allen said. He didn't want to feel so helpless at the moment.

"I know you can." Narain said. This made Allen look over at him with a puzzled look on his face. Narain smiled warmly at him. "But I want to feel like I can do something to help you, Allen. We haven't seen each other for awhile, won't you let me do this? It's practice for me too, after all." Narain explained. Allen nodded, remembering Narain's dream to become a great doctor that could find new cures for unknown diseases.

Allen sat up and Narain unwound his bandage on his right arm, not his wrist because that one had just been applied recently, though Allen did look away, ashamed of it. Narain didn't pay any mind to it though. Narain applied whatever to his cut and actually sat fully on the bed to take a look at Allen's eye. Allen winced whenever Narain touched it. His hand felt so cold on his cut. Allen had actually muttered a small 'ow.'

"Oh, sorry..." Narain said, pulling his hand back after Allen winced. Allen just looked away from him, waiting for him to continue on. So Narain did and then bandaged his eye back up after examining it. It would definitely scar again...Narain hesitated a bit when he came upon Allen's neck.

"Narain-" Allen started.

"No, no, I can do it...I'm sorry, I was just..." Narain shook his head, the scene of the incident wouldn't get out of his mind. He started unwrapping Allen's neck and everyone in the room winced at the large bruise around his neck. You could also see faint scratches on his neck. Narain _really _wanted to poke it. He didn't know why, but he just really wanted to. So he did.

"Ow, hey!" Allen frowned, rubbing his neck but wincing at it.

"Oops, sorry." Narain apologized as he picked out some ointment from the first aid kit and applying it to his neck. Allen winced at the cream. Narain wrapped his neck back up and instructed Allen to take his shirt off. Allen didn't hesitate to do it and panted after getting it off his head. For some reason, it really tired him out. He pulled it off, disgruntled and Narain went immediately to work. Lavi and the others were trying their best not to gasp at all the wounds that covered Allen's body. Allen did notice that Narain looked over at the closet a bit more than necessary. He glanced over once and heard scratching from inside. Narain's eyes widened. _Oh, they're so screwed! _Narain thought.

"What's in the closet?" Allen asked curiously.

"Hm? The closet?" Narain asked.

"You didn't hear that noise?" Allen asked suspiciously. Narain frowned at him.

"Are your ears okay? I didn't hear anything." Allen frowned back at Narain's lie. He was hoping that Allen didn't see through his disguise. Fortunately for him, Allen didn't see the lie in his voice. He just looked up at the ceiling, looking amusingly bored. Narain patted his chest after he was done. "All done."

"Thanks." Allen said and pulled his shirt back on. He sighed and looked out the window. The grass below looked so inviting but Allen had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to feel it for awhile. Allen didn't realize that he had even sighed at all. Narain stared at him and smiled, patting his head. Allen gave him a puzzled look.

"Fou dropped by, by the way." Narain informed. Allen frowned and looked down.

"Oh..." Allen felt weird. He was sleeping and she had seen him...

"Say, Allen..." Narain mumbled, looking at the ceiling with a look of thinking on his face.

"Hm?" Allen hummed in response.

"Are you in love with anyone?" Narain asked. Allen blinked a few times before he processed what Narain had said and blushed deeply.

"Wh-what's up with the question!?" Allen exclaimed. Narain laughed.

"Oh, it's nothing. Oh, and Fou mentioned something about Link. I believe your neighbor guy or whatever said something about him too." Narain said. Allen didn't say anything but looked away at the mention of Lavi. "I don't get it. Why were they asking about him?" Narain asked. Allen sighed and leaned against the wall for support.

"It's a long and pointless story-hey wait, whatever happened to him anyways?" Allen looked down at Narain, expecting an answer.

"Hm, he told me to tell you something about the 'investigation' being over, whatever that means." Narain said. Allen smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

"I see." He replied.

"Well, don't you just look tired?" Narain chuckled. "I'll leave if you want me to so you can get some rest." Narain said.

"No, I'm actually just _really _hungry." Allen answered, remembering that he didn't eat anything yesterday morning.

"How much is really?" Narain asked.

"Well, I feel like my stomach is actually eating itself right now." Allen replied nonchalantly. Narain snorted.

"When was the last time you ate?" Narain asked, waiting for the answer. It never came. Both Narain and Allen frowned.

"Oh God, I don't even know."

"How are you _alive _right now?!" Narain asked, flying himself away from Allen as if he was using some kind of witchcraft to stay alive. "The last time _I _checked, you would pass out if you didn't get food!" He exclaimed.

"Okay one, I would pass out, not die and two, that was because I hadn't eaten in like days!" Allen reasoned with him.

"That was quite funny though..." Narain mumbled, grasping his chin in thought. He started laughing remembering the time he first met Allen...

* * *

_Allen and Cross had been walking for about three days straight when they finally made it into India. Right when they reached the first town they came to, Cross passed out from over-exhaustion. Allen had started freaking out, having no clue what he would do if Cross died on him. He already lost his father and his uncle, it wouldn't be good if he lost his guardian too. Who would take care of him. The hunger, pain, and exhaustion soon came over him too and just before he passed out, he saw a boy around his own age running over and catching him. _

_Allen woke up after Cross did and felt like his stomach was actually trying to digest itself in hopes of getting some food out of it. He moaned in pain. _

_"You're awake!" Allen heard a cheerful voice speak loudly. Too loudly...Allen wanted to close his ears but he didn't want to seem rude. Instead, he opened his eyes to see a boy with brown hair and dark blue eyes smiling down at him. Allen cried with surprise and sat up quickly, banging their heads against each other. They both groaned in pain and held onto their heads. The other boy started laughing. __"That was funny, so, who are you travelers? Where did you come from? Do you have an accent?" The boy spoke excitedly. _

_"Ow...accent?" Allen asked and the boy cheered. _

_"You're British, aren't you?!" Narain hit it right on the dot._

_"Yes, I am actually, how can you tell?" Allen asked obliviously. The thirteen year old whistled. _

_"I'm just smart like that. So how old are you, and how'd you get to India?" The boy asked._

_"We walked." Allen moaned in pain and rubbed his stomach. _

_"Are you hungry? We have some food for you. My name is Narain by the way." Narain said, smiling and offering him a plate of food. Allen accepted it._

_"My name is Allen Walker...oh wow, thank you...say...have you seen a man with long, red hair?" Allen asked, thinking about Cross. Narain nodded._

_"He's your dad, right?" Narain asked innocently. Allen choked on his food. _

_"Oh no, no, no, no! He's just my guardian." Allen replied. Narain watched with amazement as Allen inhaled the food in front of him. _

_"You must have sure been hungry..." Narain mumbled. _

_"No, the brat always acts like that when he's eating." They heard a low grumble and they both looked over. _

_"Master..." _

* * *

"I still can't believe you passed out." Narain mumbled. "My father thought you two had died."

"Close enough." Allen grumbled, remembering the terrifying experience of not having food for days. It truly was the most scariest thing he had ever faced in all his years, except The Akuma of course.

"Well, I'm going to go and get you some food. Just hang tight and lay down. You'll need to save your energy." Narain said, ruffling Allen's hair. Allen smiled wearily at him.

"You don't have to tell me that." Allen said as he snuggled under his covers. He yanked them over his head and Narain chuckled. He gestured Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda to get out hurriedly before Allen peeked out of his covers. Surprisingly, they were really quiet leaving. This explained the severity of the situation.

"See you in a minute, Allen." Narain said. He and the others fled downstairs. They were all speechless about how bad Allen was injured. Lavi decided that he needed to confront Allen soon. Allen had suffered so much and Lavi wanted to cheer him up and make sure that he wasn't hurting anymore. He felt that after seeing and hearing about what Allen had gone through for him...Lavi knew he could trust Allen. Allen's had it much worse than he did. He stared at Narain as he worked hard to cook Allen a decent meal, he watched as Kanda and Lenalee bickered at each other.

After making sure that everyone was busy, Lavi headed upstairs to go and see his best friend.

He stood outside the door, pacing around, figuring how to go inside. Timcanpy had actually accompanied him up there and he was a bit surprised that no one noticed that he was missing-but that wasn't the point. Was he just supposed to burst through the door or knock? And what if he frightened him on accident? Hell, what if Allen was _sleeping? _Maybe he should've thought twice about this before heading upstairs to do what he planned to do. It was all or nothing right now. He just needed to run in and apologize...that's it...all he had to do...

_Here goes nothing..._

Meanwhile, downstairs, Narain had just finally finished cooking some decent cheeseburgers. He wasn't the greatest cook in the world, now _that _was for sure...but he could make some decent cheeseburgers. Sure, they were usually a bit too greasy, but he was sure Allen wouldn't mind. Food was food to Allen and Allen wouldn't starve himself. He learned not to do that already. He walked into the living room with a plate and saw Kanda and Lenalee bickering. He blinked for a few times before realizing that Allen's cat and Lavi were missing. Lenalee and Kanda stopped their arguing about who knows what to look over at the confused Narain.

"What's wrong, Narain?" Lenalee asked kindly, remembering the name from Lavi earlier ago. _Speaking of Lavi..._she thought, looking around. Narain happened to ask the question that was currently on her mind.

"Where's Lavi?"

* * *

**Sorry guys, have to cut it short here, it would've been longer but I'm going to my dad's and I gotta leave in like a minute (seriously). Lol my mom is so weird. So there's a window at the sink where we wash our dishes and I _swore _I saw something jump on the window...I don't think she heard my whole sentence, but she did hear 'window' come out of my mouth. She grabbed the string and pulled it to pull up the blinds and said like they would in the movies: It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. I just gave her a 'wtf?!' look. She doesn't normally act like that xD But yeah's, I got's to go but of course I'm going to thank Katie2000, Seraphinit, bookspazz55, midnightstardust, Shirubagure, Clueless4You, axis. powers. 2013, Lyokni, MintGreenn, fullmetal96100, xXxPhantomxXx, Road of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, the3leonine, Lavi Bookman 2, ellarockabella, and the guest for reviewing! :D They really made me happy and they made me giggle because I left you all off on another cliffy xD DON'T FORGET TO VoTe FoR ThE PoLL!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Sorry I didn't update sooner, my mom wanted to 'check' her Facebook (aka, spend forever on the computer) and then I got distracted with Gaia...whee! I checked my YouTube and saw some comments, so happy now! :D I'm glad you like my video *bows* I was actually thinking about making a third video...but I dunno, I've been so focused on this story. I was telling my friend about my other story and I was complaining because it was 'too long' (just an excuse to give her xD) and she looked at me like I'd grown a third head. Her reply was 'First Impressions is even longer!' I just grinned. I can't help it, I love this story, it's so much fun to right! Woot, and I got more voters for my poll! :3 I apologize yesterday for the short chapter, today's chapter ****_will _****be longer, I promise! ^^ So, without further adieu, the story shall continue!**

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Lenalee smacked her forehead. "I wasn't even paying attention to him! He's probably upstairs with Allen." Lenalee guessed. Narain's eyes widened. Lenalee was quick to explain after seeing his expression. "I swear he's just apologizing. He really is sorry." Lenalee reassured.

"I don't get it." Narain said with a frown. He leaned on his right side with a hand on his hip. The other hand held up the plate of burgers. Lenalee tilted her head to show her confusion.

"Don't get what?" She asked.

"What's going on between them. I don't get it and it's always those two specifically." Lenalee's eyebrows raised high at Narain's words.

"Well, maybe you should ask Fou what her idea is." Lenalee said, giggling.

Narain thought about that for awhile. Knowing Fou, she would say something like Allen loving Lavi since he was gay and all. But what was Lenalee implying then? _Were_ they like that with each other? _Allen loves someone...he doesn't want Lavi to get hurt...and Lavi just wants to apologize so they can be friends again...I think I may see what's going on here._ Narain snorted.

"I think I get it." He said after awhile.

"You know Fou?" Lenalee asked.

"Yeah-long story. I'm going to...see if Allen and Lavi are alright." Narain said with a lot of uncertainty. Lenalee giggled and waved goodbye at him. Narain walked over to the door and heard a _very_ interesting conversation.

"Take it off!" He heard Lavi shout.

"No, go away! Ow, hey, that hurts, quit it!" Allen shouted back.

"Hey, I'm good at this stuff. Just relax and I can help you!" Lavi worded his words interestingly.

"No! Didn't I tell you to leave?!"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna! Now take it off!" Lavi replied.

"No!" Allen declined.

"It won't hurt, I promise! It'll feel good!" Lavi reassured. Narain couldn't take it anymore and opened the door. He blinked at the scene that unfolded in front of him. Lavi was on top of Allen, attempting to take his shirt off while Allen was trying to get away. Their heads snapped towards Narain and Allen blushed deeply, looking at how this situation would've looked to him. Narain's eyebrows were raised pretty high at the scene.

"This is definitely _not _what it looks like." Allen stated.

"That's not what it sounded like." Narain said, smirking. Allen's blush deepened further. He opened his mouth and closed it afterwards. Allen repeated this action several times. Lavi hid his smirk.

"Awe, and I got so excited too!" Lavi whined, making the whole thing seem so much more perverted than it actually was. Both Narain and Allen's eyes widened considerably.

"...Lavi...what are you...I...I can't even...oh my God..." Allen muttered before covering his face from embarrassment. "This isn't what it looks like, Narain, I swear." Allen mumbled. Narain sat down on Allen's bed cross-legged.

"Enlighten me."

* * *

_Lavi stood out of the doorway and decided to just jump in and hug the boy to death while apologizing...it didn't work out as he planned though. He ran through the door and saw Allen, who had just started changing and threw himself at the younger for a hug. Allen blinked and turned around just as he was taking his shirt off and saw Lavi at the last second. H_owever, _he was too late to dodge him and Lavi landed on top of him. Once again, they found themselves in a situation they're usually involved in. _

_Lavi was kissing him. _

_Lavi didn't seem to realize this either. Then, he did the most torturous thing to poor little Allen. He deepened it. Allen was so confused. Why was Lavi kissing him? Did Lavi like him back? Where did Lavi even come from? Why was Lavi here? Didn't Lavi not trust him? That question led back to the first one and his mind started going around in circles as their lips moved with each other. Allen probably would've stopped him if he had the energy, but he didn't. Lavi would probably just end up ignoring him if he tried to push him away anyways..._

_Allen opened his eyes halfway and stared at Lavi. He really did miss the red head so much. Allen stared at every centimeter of Lavi as they kissed. He looked at his blood red hair, which had a cowlick near the middle, his pure green eye, which was almost unreadable and probably would be if they weren't close up. There was a faint blush on Lavi's cheeks, Allen could see, and Allen could barely watch his lips move. He knew that he shouldn't be kissing Lavi, that he should be yelling at him...but Lavi..._

_Lavi was such a tease._

_Lavi released Allen from the kiss and grinned at the smaller boy. Allen gave him an annoyed look, but it was very weak because he was too busy trying to get some real air through his lungs since all he breathed for the past minute was Lavi's breath. Lavi still hovered over top of Allen and Allen was still blushing from the previous events. Once Allen figured he had enough air to survive, he chose to speak up. He glared weakly at Lavi before looking away from embarrassment. _

_"What...was that all about?" Allen asked, mumbling. _

_"It was a sorry kiss! I was originally going to hug you...but then you moved the wrong way." Lavi informed. _

_"That doesn't mean you..." Allen couldn't even finish his words when Lavi bent down to hug him tightly. Allen's eyes widened and he could feel tears prickling at his eyes. Lavi was actually hugging him! Allen hesitantly brought his hands up and hugged him back, laying his head on Lavi's chest. _

_"I'm so so so so so so sorry!" Lavi exclaimed. "I trust you, I really do! I know you trust me too, but would you have seriously shown me your arm if I hadn't seen it myself?" Lavi whispered. He didn't know why he was whispering...he just was. Allen was silent. He didn't even know the answer to that question. Lavi simply smiled, knowing that he was now forgiven. "So...friends?" Lavi asked. _

_"I...I...okay...friends..." Allen said and hugged tighter as if he was afraid that Lavi would let go and leave him all alone again. Lavi rubbed Allen's back comfortingly, causing him to blush. _

_"Jeez, Allen, why are ya so tense?" Lavi asked playfully. Then, a sudden idea came into his mind. "Hey, I know! Take off your shirt!" Lavi said, grinning._

_"What?!" Allen exclaimed, suddenly flustered._

_"Chill out, I just wanna give you a back rub, c'mon~!" Lavi whined. _

_"Nu uh." Allen said firmly, shaking his head. "You should leave, Lavi, aren't you supposed to be at work?" _

_"Hey, I can skip for my lil' buddy, can't I?" Lavi asked, pouting._

_"No, now go away." _

_"You just don't want me to give you a back rub." Lavi said, pouting._

* * *

Narain raised his eyebrows higher after hearing the story. Of course, Allen didn't include the whole kiss because he was embarrassed about that part. Lavi was grinning at the fact that he didn't mention it and Narain smiled, happy to know that his friend no longer felt somber about Lavi not trusting him. Although, he did wonder about what was on Allen's mind when it came down to The Akuma. How was Allen going to plan on protecting Lavi from The Akuma? Did he think that Lavi could just up and take care of himself? He'd probably ask about it later though.

"Okay, now that the explanations over..." Lavi started, looking back at Allen, who was underneath him. Allen turned his attention to Lavi, just now realizing that they were still in the same position from before. "Take it off!"

"No!"

And so the fight continued and Allen's cheeseburgers were slowly getting colder. Narain waited awhile before Allen actually tired himself out and then begged for food. It worked of course and Allen was too weak to fight Lavi any longer and whined for the food in Narain's hands. Narain and Timcanpy, who was sitting on Narain's lap, watched, completely amused, as Allen tried to get out of Lavi's grip to crawl to the food. Lavi insisted that he wasn't getting food until he took off his shirt. Allen had to comply or he wouldn't have eaten.

So, they were all currently on the bed. Narain was holding up the plate for Allen as he scarfed down the cheeseburgers. Narain felt overjoyed that Lavi didn't mind Allen's arm like some people had in the past. Allen had a faint blush on his cheeks as Lavi rubbed his back and was puffing out his cheeks like he always did when he was mad, upset, or embarrassed. Lavi seemed so into what he was doing, it just made Allen feel warmer in his face. Narain did catch him looking at Allen's wrist a few times though. Timcanpy just stared at Allen for a long time, waiting for his owner to give him some food. Allen did notice his cat a few minutes later and gave him bite sized pieces. The cat was satisfied and walked out of the bedroom. Allen sent a _love you too! _look as the cat walked away.

Sooner or later though, Lavi had gotten Allen to relax and he slowed his movements. He looked past Allen's head to see that Allen's eyes were slowly starting to close as if he was going to fall asleep. Narain had already started snoozing against the wall, eventually getting bored from watching Allen's facial expressions as Lavi gave him a massage. Allen was a bit surprised that Lavi never got bored from massaging his back for so long. He seemed so immersed in what he was doing, you could barely hear him breath. The entire house was quiet.

Too quiet...

Suddenly, a loud noise came from downstairs and everyone currently in the room jumped. Allen groaned at the crick in his neck he got from sitting so still. He rubbed his neck and looked at Narain, who was holding his head from slamming it on the wall when he woke up. Lavi was chuckling lightly but he was still rubbing Allen's back. He too, though, was curious as to what that noise was. His curiosity wasn't as fired up though since he seemed relaxed from relaxing Allen...however that was possible. He gave Narain a look and Narain sighed. Narain stood up and went downstairs to see what had happened.

It was very...intriguing.

Kanda had _somehow _managed to knock over the television and was actually shielding Timcanpy from the large object. Lenalee smiled at his kindness. When he saw the smile though, he just got angry and threw some movies around and they hit other items such as lamps and picture frames. Narain sighed, annoyed. Now he had to clean all of this up so Allen wouldn't have to worry. He was a bit surprised that Kanda had saved Timcanpy though. He just met the guy, but he could already tell that Kanda was a bit bitter than normal people. Narain shook his head and smiled.

Meanwhile upstairs...

Allen had relaxed back into Lavi's touch and actually started leaning on him so that Lavi couldn't rub his back anymore. Lavi started to complain until he saw Allen's sleeping face. Lavi beamed and smiled down at the sleeping teen. They actually sat like that for awhile and Narain never came back up. Lavi was confused and a bit worried about what was going on downstairs, but whatever it was, he was sure Kanda could deal with it...if not then Narain was a pretty reliable person considering that he was one of Allen's closest friends or something like that.

He felt Allen shift and mumble in his sleep and looked down to see his face in a frown. Lavi frowned down at him. _Is he having a nightmare? _Lavi wondered. He noticed Allen's right hand moving towards his shoulder. A look of pain crossed Allen's face and he clutched onto his shoulder, moaning in pain. Lavi's eyes widened when he saw Allen scratch at his shoulder. He instantly took Allen's right hand into his and grabbed his left hand. His thumb graced over the small jewel implanted into Allen's hand and Allen eased back into a nice dream.

_Why does he do this to himself? _Lavi wondered as he looked at Allen's shoulder. He could see past scars where Allen had scratched himself from before. He felt so hurt just looking at the scars. He laid his head down on Allen's shoulder and pressed his lips against the scars. _You shouldn't do this to yourself, Allen. _Lavi thought. He shifted Allen around and pulled the comforter over him. Lavi shut off the light and closed the door softly and headed downstairs. When he went downstairs he didn't expect...well...

He didn't expect _this._

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**Yeah-yuh, it's finished! Finally! Okay, it wasn't 4k words, but I think that the length is alright...so I _promise _my next chapter _will _be 8k whether I like it or not because I basically bs'd the last two (not really, but it looks like it :l) I'm definitely taking suggestions since the next chapter will be so long xD...so anyways, I'd like to thank all 29 voters for voting! Not only that, but I'd like to thank MintGreenn, Lyokni (I'll be your fried! :o), Shirubagure, AntagonizingExorcist, NoName-chan, ellarockabella, the3leonine, Katie2000, Nami Heartfilia, Clueless4You, and the guest for reviewing, I _really _appreciate it! :3 Oh! One last thing, DON'T forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Woot, woot! Chapter 30 has finally arrived! If you don't know, the poll is about the next story I'm going to post. Whenever I finish this one, I'll choose the choice with the most votes and start that story next; but only after I finish this one and there are 17 choices! Summaries for the 1-8th place are finished! Check em out to help you decide on your choice for the poll! You can view them on my profile under 'Poll Results: Over 1 Vote:' Agh! I keep on freaking listening to this song...it makes me cry every time! I tried to sing it without tearing up but it wouldn't work. I cried like 3 times just trying to sing it D: It's called Terrible Things by Mayday Parade. *sniffle* stupid Mayday Parade...why are you making love so sad? Well...love is kinda sad but this is just so...freaking depressing! Yet it's so addictive and I can't stop listening to it...so yeah...if you guys don't cry while listening to that...you're heartless! Just kidding, just kidding xD So yeah, here's the next chapter! Enjoy c;**

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"He's crazy! Miss Lee, please help me!" Narain shouted with panic as he ran around wildly from an angry Kanda...who was throwing flaming marshmallows at him. Lenalee was just sitting on the couch, looking very annoyed. It looked like she gave up on trying to figure what was going on out, and she had..

Narain was so confused. Where had he even gotten the marshmallows? Did he keep them in his pocket or something? And how did they just randomly catch on fire? Lavi sat there awkwardly. He really needed to get back to work too. Anita left a new manager there to go to the hospital to see someone and she voted Lavi to make sure everything worked out smoothly. Lavi took that as an advantage to sneak out and see Allen and was probably being insulted at this very moment behind his back. Lavi tip toed out and only hoped that they would clean up and not catch Allen's house on fire. Inside, Narain had decided to make a peace treaty with the upset Kanda.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please stop!" Narain begged.

Kanda growled as he threw the last marshmallow at Narain. He huffed and crossed his arms and looked away and che'd. Narain felt relief wash over him and opened his mouth to talk until he saw how messy the living room was. Kanda had put the TV down after he heard Narain snickering and attacked him. There were melted marshmallows all over the floor and Narain was pretty sure there were burn spots too. Lenalee was just laying on the couch lazily. Timcanpy had been scratching at Allen's couch, leaving scratch marks.

Allen was going to be so pissed off.

Narain sighed as he stared at Allen's destroyed living room. At that exact moment, Fou waltzed in. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Allen's living room. Puzzlement, amusement, and curiosity was printed on her face. She only came back because she couldn't talk to the manager at her 'work' about being 'hired'. She said that she was 'hired' and to come in the next day, but she wasn't even there so Fou came back to see Allen. Fou stared blankly at the scene in front of her as she tried to come up with what the hell happened here. There were burnt marshmallows on the floor, as well as the TV, and Kanda looked upset while Narain looked afraid. She was completely speechless.

"...I see you guys met Narain." She said awkwardly. Her main concern was why they were here, because she could totally feel off vibes from Allen and Narain had texted her about Allen and Lavi's fight and the fact they weren't friends; and wherever Kanda and Lenalee were, Lavi was as well. Things seemed so awkward without Lavi and Allen being friends. Now everything just seemed...normal. "So what the hell happened?" Fou asked bluntly.

"Long story." Both Narain and Lenalee said in unison.

"...che." Kanda growled, looking away.

"Right, so Allen's upstairs, right?" Fou asked. Narain seemed to have a look of sudden realization and gaped.

"Shoot!" He exclaimed before bolting upstairs. Everyone, even Timcanpy, was looking where Narain had just left. Fou shrugged and followed him up the stairs like a normal person would. She saw Narain with a look of relief on his face as he looked down at Allen sleeping. Then he tilted his head confusingly.

"What's up?" Fou asked as she walked in Allen's room, gazing down at the sleeping teen.

"Lavi was just up here a second ago, I wonder where he went..." Narain informed. Fou's interest peaked.

"Wait, Lavi was here?" Fou asked. Narain nodded.

"Well, seeing as Allen is comfortable around him now, I'd say that they made up." Narain guessed. Fou seemed to smile at that and looked back down at Allen happily. She brushed his hair behind his ears.

"He's so..." She started but trailed off.

There wasn't even a word to describe Allen. He was just an all around wonderful person. He was good at cooking, singing, drawing, making music, dancing, and good looking. But over all that, he was the kindest person that Fou had ever met. He deserved happiness more than anyone in the world. He had suffered so much, despite being such an amazing person. He cared about others he didn't even know and risked his life for them even. He worried over strangers and he even smiled so much when he was truly feeling so much hurt and rejection inside. It made tears well up in both their eyes, just thinking about how much Allen went through and what he truly deserved. Only Narain and Fou knew that side of Allen. All he really wanted was to be loved by someone and love them back. He didn't want any complications but he did want challenges. He wanted friends and he wanted to be like his father. He was strong in more ways than just one.

He was truly...

"...amazing..." Narain agreed.

"I don't think anyone can truly ever deserve him; but as long as he's happy...that's all that matters." Fou said, smiling wider. Narain nodded his head and they both sat on his bed and smiled at him. Allen shivered and shifted in his sleep. He opened his eyes, feeling the weight on his bed. He rubbed at his right eye since his other was still patched up. He blinked when he saw Fou and Narain smiling at him with sad smiles. It freaked him out, was something wrong?

"Wh-what's wrong?!" He asked, panicked, as he sat up quickly. He winced a bit but ignored the pain. This just made Fou burst into tears. He cared so much it was ridiculous. She hugged him tightly.

"Oh, Allen, you're so...so...stupid!" Fou laughed. Allen frowned, confused. Why was she crying?

"Stupid? I'm confused." Allen said honestly.

"You have no idea how fucking amazing you are and you don't even know it, Allen. That's why you're stupid." Fou said.

"What...what brought this up?" Allen asked, a bit worried. Fou squeezed him tighter.

"Nothing had to bring this up, Allen. You're just that amazing." Fou said.

"I...I don't know what to say..." Allen mumbled. Fou laughed and Narain chuckled.

"Whatever happens, Allen, just know that I'll always support you. No matter _what._" Fou said seriously.

"I...thank you?" Allen smiled anyways and hugged her back.

"So, why are you here?" Narain asked. "Didn't you say something about work?" This caused Allen to retreat from the hug and give Fou a questionable look. He knew Fou dropped by, but he didn't know she left because she had applied for a new job. He was really only just curious about when she actually had the time to apply for a job.

"Oh yeah, totally. I went to go apply somewhere and the woman said I was hired right away when I mentioned a few friends of mine. Then I went over today cause she told me to and...she wasn't there. She was like, gone. I can't exactly remember when I applied and everything, but I think she said she was going to the hospital for someone." Fou said curiously.

"Someone?...where did you apply at?" Narain asked. Fou itched at her head.

"It was Bak's idea. Some place called...HQ I think?" She asked. Allen's eyes widened.

"...I work there..." Allen whispered. Fou and Narain blinked and stared at him.

"Really? I didn't know that...so you know the manager that left to the hospital too?" Fou asked innocently.

She knew nothing about Cross' admission into the hospital. She only knew that he got shot...she also didn't know the connection between Allen and Anita. To Fou's question, Allen's face became somber and he looked down at the bed, clutching the blanket in his hands. _I couldn't protect Cross...they were after me...it should've been me who was shot...it should've been me..._Allen thought sadly. He felt so horrible and hopeless. Tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to look weaker than he already felt at the moment. He was too afraid to even ask what his friends thought about him. To him, he thought that they would think he was weak. He couldn't do anything to save Cross and here he was crying about it...

"She went...to see Cross..." Allen replied quietly. Fou's eyes widened. Narain swallowed thickly. He didn't like the mood at the moment. Why couldn't it just go away? Every single one of them hated the feelings being expressed right now.

Allen also wanted to ask how Cross was at this very moment. He knew Cross would call him childish if he asked if he was going to be alright but that was just who Cross was. Cross had helped Allen survive through his father's death. Had it not been for Cross, he probably wouldn't be here right now. Cross helped him survive through high school-no, not high school-Cross helped him survive through _life. _Sure, he was rough on him sometimes, but Cross probably saved his life a million times. He always had a good reason for doing whatever he did. He was only trying to make Allen stronger and help him be able to get through something like this next time it happened. Allen could only hope he was going to be okay.

Allen could only hope this wouldn't be the next time someone important in his life died.

"You know, Allen, it's okay to cry." Narain said quietly. Allen didn't look up from his hands.

"...I...I don't...I'm not..." Allen could barely make out what he wanted to say.

"It's proof that you're human, Allen, anyone would cry about this!" Narain reasoned. "...and if you need someone to be there for you or someone you can cry on...well, we're all yours." Narain said, smiling weakly at him. Allen smiled at him too, surprising the two as well.

"Nah...I actually...I think it's time for me to stop crying and do something about it. Cross wouldn't want me to sit around moping all day." Allen said bravely. Narain and Fou smiled at his response.

He truly was amazing.

* * *

Like before, Fou wouldn't let anyone see Allen for the next three weeks. It had now led into September and both Fou and Allen were bickering at each other about college. It was around the sixteenth and the beginning of Fall was the twenty-second. Fou was arguing about which college to go to while Narain just watched with interest. He had been relatively bored after coming home from work with them. Now, almost every one of Allen's best friends were working at the same place. This consisted of Lavi, Fou, Narain, and Suman. Allen didn't know much about where Kanda and Lenalee worked...on a different topic, Allen still hadn't heard from Cross, and Narain and Fou tried their best not to bring it up.

"...but what college do you plan on going to; and what are you going to major in? Didn't you say you wanted several majors? That'll be too hard on you if you try it all at once! You should choose wisely. Don't do two majors at a time. Take your time or you'll end up getting bored in the end!" Fou reasoned.

"I don't necessarily know what college I'm going to...and I know that already Fou! I'm just...impatient right now! I need to apply for Fall exams soon sometime though." Allen retorted. Fou crossed her arms.

"Why do you want to go straight into school, anyways? Didn't you just finish twelve years of it?" She asked incredulously.

"Actually, six years." Allen corrected. "I started school in the sixth grade." Allen informed. Narain nodded, remembering that Allen was completely uneducated other than what Mana had taught him.

Mana and Allen were traveling around so much so Allen never had the chance of school until Narain mentioned it to Cross. Cross thought it was a great idea, so Allen went to the same school as Narain until Narain disappeared. Cross was worried about Narain, knowing about The Akuma attack from the newspaper, and moved away from India. He didn't want Allen to go through the same pain of loss one death after another. That was when they moved back to England, where Allen first came from and where Mana had passed away. Allen hadn't gone to his grave in forever either and he wasn't planning on going anytime soon. He didn't want those memories brought back ever again.

"Ah, right, you told me about that. Well, hmm...I hope that doesn't affect the college you go to..." Fou wondered aloud. Allen agreed wholeheartedly. He actually considered the possibility of not going to college at all because of this fact. They wouldn't be able to see his grades for the grades below sixth because he never went to school for those grades.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that too. I mean, I could always not go to college. I mean, I might not be the best in the world, but I'd say I'm pretty good at some stuff." Allen said almost uncertainly. "That, or I can get into a college that would accept me." Allen informed.

"What about BOU?" Narain asked, drawing both pairs of eyes on him.

"Black Order University? Isn't that like one of the best colleges in the country? I heard it's hard to get into that." Fou said. She looked at Allen. "Do you know anyone going to college there?" Fou asked. Allen scratched the back of his head a bit unsure about his next words.

"Well, I know that one of the employees had personally wanted to see Lavi, so I think he goes there...but I can't be too sure..." Allen mumbled.

"Well, there you go. You should send a letter of recommendation to Komui then." Narain said. Allen gave Narain a weird look.

"Isn't someone else supposed to do that?" Allen asked. "That's why it's called recommendation...because someone's recommending you for-" Allen started, but Narain cut him off, quite annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Fine, then ask someone else to send you a letter." Narain growled.

"Like who?" Allen asked. Just as he asked that, the doorbell rang as if it was trying to answer his question. Allen stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it up and his eyes widened and he could feel tears coming to his eyes.

Cross was okay.

Cross was standing there in the doorway looking sheepish, as sheepish as Cross could look, and was looking anywhere but the teenager in front of him. Cross could have just called Allen, Cross could have just texted Allen, Cross could have just asked someone else to deliver the message that he was okay; but no...Cross actually came to _see him. _Allen was overjoyed and couldn't help but let tears of happiness fall down his face. He couldn't restrain himself and tackled Cross in a hug. He knew that Cross didn't exactly _do _hugs, but Allen couldn't help himself. He was just so _glad _that Cross was okay.

"Ugh, stop being a kid and quit hugging me. You know I don't like hugs." Cross grumbled, even though he was seen slinging his arm around the short teenager to hug him back.

"I'll be a kid if it means that I can be happy." Allen replied, smiling. Cross snorted.

"You're so childish." Cross mumbled. Fou and Narain got up to see what was taking Allen so long and were shocked to see that Cross was there. They smiled at him and he grunted.

"Group hug!" Fou shouted and tackled both Cross and Allen to the ground. Narain joined in on the fun as well. Cross wouldn't admit it, but he thought the situation was funny too. He smirked and rubbed his fist on Allen's head.

"You little twerp. Didn't I tell you not to cry over stupid things?" Cross snorted. They all laughed at him. Allen was so happy at the moment like everyone else.

None of them seemed to notice Komui standing there and watching the whole thing. He smiled, seeing Cross in such a good mood was pretty rare. His eyes wandered over to Allen. It was obviously Allen's fault for Cross to be in such a good mood. He was happy for his friend, but he was curious about Allen. Cross hadn't told him much as they spent time together at the hospital. Komui was mostly just checking up on him for Anita, who studied at his college to be a famous chef. He thought it was quite ironic she owned and was the manager of...whatever HQ was. Allen invited Cross inside and Komui left for the house his 'dear' Lenalee was staying in. He was a bit curious about Narain though and how he knew Allen, but dismissed it for a conversation to bring up later.

Allen made lunch, spaghetti ironically, for Cross and the others and they all sat down to catch up on daily life events. Cross snorted at the fact that Fou and Narain had held Allen captive for the past three weeks. Neah was fretting over what was going on because Fou wouldn't let him in again. She did this to him when Allen was sick one time too. So Neah went to go see Cross, only to see he wasn't home. So then he checked it up with Anita and she told him the news. Neah instantly drove as quickly as he possibly could to go see Cross to explain what happened. Cross didn't tell Neah that The Akuma were still after him. He just told him that Allen was getting robbed and described it in that matter. Neah was thankful to Cross for his information and visited regularly.

When Cross had finally been released from the hospital, he made sure to call Neah and give him the thumbs up. He didn't expect that to be the time Allen could actually get out again. Allen himself hadn't seen the sunshine in forever and was starting be as pale as Krory, one of his retired school teachers. Allen actually heard rumors that he was teaching at Black Order University now. After bringing that up, Cross decided to ask Allen about his plans for college. He didn't fail to bring up that the fall exams for many colleges were starting on the day of Fall, the twenty-second, aka about six days.

"Yeah! We were just talking about that actually!" Fou said with a mouthful. Cross scowled at the noodles hanging out of her mouth, but listened all the same. "Narain and I think that you should send a letter of recommendation for him, because he can't do it himself." Fou informed. Allen face palmed and Cross sweat dropped. He looked to Allen to confirm this.

"That's what _they _were thinking; but BOU seems a bit extreme." Allen commented.

"Nonsense." Cross didn't hesitate when he spoke. "BOU is exactly your level of skill, I'll see what I can do." Allen blinked for awhile before blushing. Cross had complimented him...he couldn't remember the last time he did that. He was more than grateful for the compliment.

They discussed other happenings along the week and cherished the truly memorable moments they had in the past as well. All in all, it was an awesome lunch and Allen felt more happier than ever. Cross left a few hours later and Allen plopped himself on the couch, so worn out. It was unbelievable that he could feel so exhausted from just talking over lunch. His face ached from smiling so hard. Fou said a short goodbye to Allen and Narain before muttering something about an 'annoying Baka.' Allen was happy that he could finally start working again. His brain started wandering over to the subject of Tyki and his relatives. He hadn't seen them since Lavi's birthday party last month. Is it bad that they didn't know about anything that had been going on? Just what did they think of the whole idea of him becoming friends with Lavi anyways? Hell, what did they think about him? Allen preferred not to think about that question. The twins, Tyki, and Road were so painfully obvious when expressing how much they were attracted to him.

Then again, they could always just not really care. Maybe they all had given up on becoming his friend in the end. Most people did that to him anyways, so Allen didn't feel hurt because he was used to it. Now came the time of what he was going to do next. He seemed to always be lounging around and sleeping and he felt so lazy. Truthfully, Allen thought that he needed some exercise and maybe even a spar...of course the only person he ever sparred with was Cross and Cross just left and it would be pointless and idiotic to call him back just so they could spar. Allen glanced over at Narain, only to see that Narain was staring at him. Allen blinked and gave Narain a confused look. Narain chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Allen asked.

"Nothing, you just looked so serious. What are you thinking about?" Narain asked his own question. Allen looked back at the couch.

"A lot of stuff, actually." Allen answered truthfully.

"A lot of stuff being..." Narain gave him a gesture to continue. Allen rolled his eyes.

"A lot of stuff being about some people I haven't talked to in awhile and my laziness." Allen replied.

"Your laziness?" Narain rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I just haven't been exercising as much as I used to. Everyday I would spar with Cross and everyday recently all I've been doing is just laying around and sleeping all day." Allen explained. Narain laughed.

"You have been a couch potato for awhile, huh? Well, c'mon, let's whip that body back into shape!" Narain exclaimed, jumping out of the recliner. Allen raised his eyebrows at Narain's words.

"How?" Allen asked, curious on how Narain planned to shape him back up.

"Well, let's spar!" Narain said like it was obvious. Allen gave him a cautious sort of look.

"Are you sure about that? You _do _realize that I sparred with _Cross, _right?" Narain shrugged at Allen's wary words. He grabbed onto Allen's left wrist and started dragging him in the backyard. Now that Allen thought about it...he actually had a walnut tree in his backyard. He looked over to look at Lavi's backyard, which consisted of a large patio with a hot tub and a basket ball hoop on it.

"Walnuts?" Narain asked, looking at Allen as he said it. Allen just gave him a shrug. He didn't know he had a walnut tree. Lavi had actually been sweeping the back patio when he saw Narain and Allen.

"Oi, Allen!" He shouted. Allen and Narain looked over. They smiled and waved at him. He grinned and leaned the broom up against the house before jogging over. "What are you two doing on this fine-walnuts?" Lavi asked as he looked down to see that he stepped on one of the green covered nuts.

"Don't ask." Allen said before Lavi could ask.

"Right...so what are you two doing?" Lavi asked.

"Well, Allen needs some exercise and we decided that since he hasn't sparred in a long time, he'll spar with me!" Narain concluded.

"Sparring? As in fighting?" Lavi asked with a disbelieving look on his face. "I didn't know Allen could fight." Both of the teenagers wanted to face palm at that moment.

"Um, yeah." Allen replied awkwardly. "That's what happens when you live with Cross." Allen explained. Lavi gave a simple nod and plopped himself in the grass to watch the show. He was glad he could see one of his best friends again. He couldn't see Allen for three weeks..._again. _He watched as Allen and Narain got in their positions.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Narain said, smirking playfully. Allen laughed.

"Try it at your own risk." Allen replied. Lavi found their taunts amusing. Allen looked a bit too small to be strong though. Narain looked more lean than he did but he couldn't judge until he saw it with his own eyes. At the same time, as if their bodies were reacting together, Allen and Narain charged at the same time. Lavi's eyes widened as they sparred. Allen was pretty quick on his feet, it seemed to surprise even Narain. Narain grinned as he blocked on of Allen's blows. Allen had the most serious look on his face, it threw Narain off guard and Allen took that as the opportunity to sweep Narain's feet out below him and he landed on his butt.

"Ow, holy shit..." Narain groaned and rolled off the walnuts he fell on. "Okay, maybe I was being risky." Narain decided as he saw Allen's grin. Allen reached his hand out to help Narain up. Narain smiled and grabbed it. Allen helped him. Lavi let out a long whistle and clapped. Allen chuckled. Narain complimented Allen and he just shrugged with a small blush on his face.

"Ow!" Both Narain and Allen looked over, hearing Lavi's shout. They jogged over to him to see a grin on his face.

"What did you do?" Allen asked.

"Nothing...I just messed up." Lavi laughed.

"Messed up what?" Allen asked suspiciously.

"This!" Lavi exclaimed and started juggling two walnuts. Allen laughed as one landed on his head. "Ow...I did it again. Damn I suck." Lavi grumbled. Narain chuckled too and Allen had to hold in his laughs. "I'd like to see you try it!" Allen immediately stopped laughing at Lavi's words.

"Was that a challenge?" Allen asked. Lavi blinked.

"Whoa, you're not serious, right?" Lavi asked as Allen smiled.

"How many?" Allen asked.

"...you're actually serious...okay, four." Lavi challenged.

Narain inwardly smirked. He knew about Allen's talents when it came to the circus. Before Mana had adopted Allen, Allen had been involved with a small circus on the streets. He learned many things from the circus and stayed there until a new clown had came in and judged Allen for looking the way he did. Since the clown was one of the top employees, everyone respected him and copied his actions of insulting Allen. Allen fled from the circus and met Mana a few days later.

"Fine." Allen said, smirking. He picked up four walnuts and actually started juggling them with ease. Lavi's jaw dropped. Allen laughed at his reaction. Lavi watched the walnuts with his eyes. He was so entertained. Allen caught them perfectly after he finished too.

"DUDE! That is so freaking cool! How do you do that?!" Lavi asked. Allen shrugged.

"It's just a little hobby I picked up when I was younger." Allen replied. He smelled the fresh walnuts and scrunched up his nose. They smelled like strong citrus cleaner. He dropped them and they landed on Lavi's head. Lavi pouted. He picked one up and smelled it too.

"Dude, I should so put these in my truck." Lavi said interestingly enough. Narain and Allen gave him weird looks. "If you saw my truck, you'd understand. Haven't you seen it, Allen?" Lavi asked, remembering the first time they met again as neighbors. Allen had only been trying to ride his bike, but Lavi decided to stalk him with his truck and face plant a mailbox. It didn't even feel like it had been two months since then...

"I saw the _outside _of your truck. Not the inside." Allen explained. Lavi nodded his head and a great idea popped up in his mind.

"Dude! We should totally like hang out somewhere or something!" Lavi said excitedly.

"Like where?" Allen and Narain asked together. Lavi shrugged.

"I dunno...we don't actually have to go somewhere I guess...but Fou wouldn't let me see you...so we haven't gotten to hang out this month! I was so lonely~!" Lavi whined.

"What about Kanda and Lenalee?" Narain asked.

"Kanda had to visit his grandfather for September like he does every year and Komui's been overreacting about just me being inside the house alone with Lenalee. Apparently he trusted Kanda to 'keep me away from her'." Lavi said, using air quotes while rolling his eyes. "So I was lonely~!" Lavi whined. Narain looked around, as if he would suddenly see something that they could do.

Surprisingly, he did.

"How about we get in your hot tub?" Narain suggested. Lavi seemed overjoyed at the suggestion. Allen inwardly scowled at Narain. He _knew _Narain would say something about that and he didn't feel comfortable soaking in steamy water with the man he was in love with. It was guaranteed that something would happen. Allen sighed.

"Yes! Oh, c'mon, Allen, please tell me you're getting in too!" Lavi begged. Allen blushed and avoided eye contact.

"I guess..." Allen mumbled. Lavi immediately jumped to his feet and sprinted in the other direction. "I'm gonna get dressed and get in!" He shouted, running into the house. Allen and Narain looked at each other before rolling their eyes and heading back to the house together. They found some basketball shorts and Narain actually got Allen to keep a shirt off when Lavi started up the Jacuzzi.

They all got in and relaxed against the jets and Allen jumped when Lavi turned the fountains up. One of them splashed in his face as the hot tub lit up rainbow colors. Allen was entertained by the hot tub, but not so much the smaller fountains as he rubbed his eyes. Narain and Lavi both laughed at him. For a few hours, they sat there and Allen was starting to feel a bit too hot. They did get out for small breaks and snacks to take a break from the hot tub but they would go back in again. Lavi heard his door knock and stood up to go answer it but Narain dismissed him and went to answer it himself. Allen blushed when he realized that he was with Lavi. Alone...in a hot tub. Where it was steamy; and Lavi looked tempting. Allen could restrain himself though. He wouldn't want to ruin their friendship.

Narain returned shortly with Komui of all people following behind with a professional look on his face. Allen made sure to sink really low so that Komui didn't see his left arm. Lavi and Narain both noticed this but they didn't say anything, understanding Allen's self-consciousness. Komui stepped up on the small stairs that led into the hot tub after Narain got in.

"Yo, Komui, what's up?" Lavi asked.

"I'm here to talk with Allen...about...BOU." Komui implied. Lavi's head snapped at Allen, who didn't have much of a reaction at this, except that he raised his eyebrows. "I received a call from Cross about you entering and such." Komui started. "And I can't say for sure that I can let you in." Komui said honestly. Allen wasn't affected at all, but Narain and Lavi were.

"What?! Why not?!" Lavi asked.

"Yeah, I don't see why not, he's really talented!" Narain said, declining Komui's decision. Allen just shrugged. He didn't care that much that Black Order University didn't accept him. He was prepared for the worst.

"But I can't see his growth rate from when he was transferring from elementary to middle school. He has no records whatsoever. They must have been deleted or-" Komui started.

"Nope." Allen said. "I didn't go to elementary school." He stated bluntly. Lavi blinked and looked at Allen.

"You didn't?" Lavi asked. Allen shook his head.

"Nu uh, I was traveling and didn't have time for it." Allen said simply as if he was talking about how the sky was blue.

"How long were you traveling?" Komui asked curiously.

"Four years." Allen said. As shocking as it seemed, he only knew Mana for four years of his life. The rest of his eight years he spent on the streets. Komui calculated this in his head. Allen could have at least went to school before traveling...but there were no records.

"And before you were traveling?" Komui asked. Allen didn't seem so obliged to answer after that. In fact, he sunk low in the tub and started blowing bubbles. Of course, you couldn't see the bubbles since there were already bubbles being blown from in the Jacuzzi. Komui raised his eyebrows curiously. Narain whispered something in his ear and Komui's eyes widened. "Hmm, I see. I guess I'll just talk about it with you later then. I was just dropping Lenalee off...for now." Komui said, giving Lavi a suspicious look. "So _we'll _be in the house." He informed. They all watched him go.

"Wow, he makes me seem like a perverted person." Lavi said, frowning as if he wasn't really a perverted person. Sure, he wasn't as perverted as Fou, but he was still pretty perverted.

"Right." Narain said sarcastically. Narain stood up and stretched, itching his arm. "Well, I feel like a prune so I'm gonna go inside now." Narain said. Really, he just wanted to confront Komui about Allen and tell him about just how talented he was. He didn't even realize that he was leaving _Lavi and Allen _alone together. This caused Allen to be a bit nervous but he wouldn't make his friend stay and suffer for his sake...

So Narain left.

It got awkwardly quiet with the two and all you could hear was the rushing noises of the water. Lavi was staring intently at Allen. For some reason, he found himself more drawn to Allen the longer he looked at him. It wasn't like any of the other girls he dated. He actually _wanted _to kiss Allen, even though they weren't dating. Sure, kissing girls had always been easy to Lavi, but Lavi really _tried _when he kissed Allen...what was weird was that it was so common for them to kiss and he disbelievingly found himself missing his lips on Allen's. It had been three weeks...and Lavi hasn't gotten any attention...from anyone.

And Lavi wasn't used to that.

So, Lavi scooted closer and closer to Allen. Allen hadn't even noticed. He had been preoccupied with looking where Narain had left, wondering if maybe there was another reason for him leaving. Hopefully he wouldn't get mad at Komui. He did remember Narain saying something about living with Komui so he didn't think that Narain would do anything extreme...then again, he knew Allen longer than he knew Komui so you could never really tell what he was planning on doing...or well, Allen couldn't. He did know that Narain wouldn't do anything to hurt anybody though-

"Hey." Lavi's smooth voice snapped Allen out of his thoughts. Allen looked over to his left with wide eyes and a blush instantly covered his face when he saw Lavi's face inches away from his own. Allen opened his mouth to let out a shout but Lavi covered it with his hand.

"L-Lavi, when did you even..." Allen muttered when Lavi took his hand away. Lavi grinned.

"You spaced out." Lavi informed.

"Yeah but...why are you so _close _to me?" Allen asked, shifting a bit uncomfortably.

"Allen...?" Lavi hesitated for a bit.

"Hm?" Allen hummed.

"Can you kiss me?" Lavi asked seriously. Allen's eyes widened and his face resembled a pure red tomato.

"Wh-wh-wha-what? Wh-why?!" Allen asked.

"Please?" Lavi begged. "I feel lonely...and we're like best best best best best best best best best friends! You'll do this for me, right?" Lavi knew he was taking advantage of Allen's innocence but he couldn't help it.

Allen started to think. Is this what best friends do? Fou was his best friend and she kissed him...but didn't she say that she did that because he was gay? No, that'd be weird...so...would kissing Lavi be something normal since they were best friends? Allen was confused but he didn't fight Lavi when Lavi pressed his lips against Allen's. Instead of pushing away, Allen continued on with the kiss. They kissed before several times, so it wouldn't be a bad thing...right? Lavi acted like it was normal...but Lavi was usually perverted...but he seemed serious about this...so maybe it was okay?

Allen gave up on trying to figure it out and just focused on moving his lips along with Lavi's. It wasn't as deep as all the other ones Lavi had done with him. It was more just...gentle and loving. Allen didn't mind it at all and could feel Lavi keeping his hand on the side of his cheek. Lavi teased him a bit, seeing if Allen would deepen the kiss himself if Lavi bit on Allen's lower lip but he didn't. From all the kisses he's received, Allen was too used to being the less dominate one. There would be no help with him being more dominating. He was not dominating, he was dominated and that's just how things played out. Allen didn't know how to do it any other way. Lavi didn't seem to mind much though.

Allen was actually starting to get into though and actually pulled Lavi closer when he threw his hands around Lavi's shoulders. It was okay that he did that though...right? He hoped so...Lavi didn't seem to think it was a bad think. The water splashed and Allen felt Lavi lift him onto Lavi's lap. Allen blushed at this but he didn't stop their kiss for it. Their gentle kiss disappeared and became more deep and Allen could feel Lavi's hands placed on his hips and they pulled him close. Was this what best friends did? Didn't couples do this kind of thing? But then again...Lavi said he _needed _attention...so Allen could do this little favor for him, right?

"...Allen." Lavi managed to get out while they kissed. Allen blushed. Okay...so what was he supposed to do now? Was Lavi asking him something? Allen didn't know what to do so he just pretended like he didn't hear whatever that was. They parted at the same time, as if it was on instinct. Lavi gazed down at Allen, who was blushing, and grinned. "Thank you, Allen~!" Lavi sang. Allen wanted to roll his eyes but he couldn't just do that...he was much too focused on the fact that he was _sitting on Lavi's lap. _Lavi picked him up by the armpits and placed him down. They got out a few minutes later and shuffled towards the house, shivering in fluffy towels.

Once inside, they were greeted by Lenalee and Komui. Lenalee looked like she had stars in her eyes when she saw Lavi and Allen walk in together. Everyone noticed this and had their own separate reactions. Lavi laughed, Allen was confused, Komui looked suspicious but curious, and Narain just raised his eyebrows, obviously amused. Who knew that Lenalee could make people feel so many different things? Allen and Lavi sat on the couch next to Lenalee, who looked at them expectantly...like she was _waiting _for something. Allen really wanted to ask her why she was looking at them like that, but wouldn't dare with Komui in the room.

"Oi, Allen, you should make us something to eat. I'm hungry." Lavi stated bluntly.

"And I'm soaked." Allen replied. Lenalee giggled.

"Then change." Lavi said.

"Fine, but I'll have to go to my house." Allen started to stand up when Lavi pushed him down. Allen blinked and then frowned at Lavi. "What-"

"No, stay there. I'll let you borrow something of mine." Lavi said.

"Um...okay...?" Allen gave Lavi a cautious look, but soaked himself into the sofa. He could _feel _Lenalee's eyes penetrating his soul. It was starting to unnerve him. He almost jumped for joy when Lavi returned. He left to change somewhere and was laughed at when the clothes were a bit too big for him. He blushed and glared at everyone (except Lenalee) who laughed at him. He puffed out his cheeks and sat down on the couch while huffing. They only seemed to laugh harder at his actions.

"There, now you're not soaked. Make food, please~!" Lavi whined. Allen sighed and stood back up.

"Fine, fine."

"Yay! I haven't tasted Allen's food in forever!" Lavi cheered.

Allen rolled his eyes and got to work on dinner: tacos. He couldn't think of anything else and Lavi certainly had the right ingredients. Komui chose at this time to observe Allen. To say he was impressed, was an understatement. Allen looked like an actual chef in the kitchen. He cut all the vegetables clean through too. It was amazing...and it was just tacos! When Komui took a bite into the taco...it wasn't _just _a taco anymore. He did in fact like the taco. Allen was relieved when he had food in his tummy and slumped in his chair. Everyone (except Allen) was staring at Komui expectantly.

"What?" He asked. They all sighed and got back to eating their tacos. After they were all filled up, Narain had started taking a tour of the house. He came back to the living room about ten minutes later, satisfied. He continued walking to the couch where Allen and Lavi sat when he stopped so suddenly, making everyone around him look at him.

"Something wrong, Narain?" Allen asked.

"Guitar?" He said, tilting his head. Everyone looked to where he was looking to see, in fact, a guitar.

"What about the guitar?" Lavi asked.

"Do you use it?" Narain asked.

"Not really, it's mostly there for show, why? Do you play?" Lavi asked. Narain blinked and shook his head. Then he slowly looked over at Allen. This caused everyone else to look at Allen. This caused Allen to blush.

"Wh-why are you all staring at me?" He asked in a higher tone.

"Allen! You should play!" Narain said excitedly.

"Wh-what? No, that's alright..."

"Eh? You play guitar, Allen?" Lavi said, completely interested now.

"Well...mostly piano...I can play a little guitar..." Allen mumbled.

"Oh, oh, oh, play a song!" Lavi said excitedly.

"Oh no...I haven't...played in a long time, really..." Allen muttered.

"Do it, do it, do it, do it!" Lavi cheered the words 'do it' over and over again before everyone couldn't take it any longer. Allen noticed their annoyed looks and gave up.

"Oh fine!" Allen exclaimed. "But I'm not getting it." Allen muttered. Lavi stood up and ran over to the priceless guitar and ran back, shoving it in Allen's hands before he could even accept it. He stared down at the expensive item and felt a bit nervous. "Are you sure-"

"Doooooooo iiiiiit!" Lavi dragged out his words, encouraging Allen.

"Okay...if you say so..." Allen swallowed nervously and tried to think back to the last song he played. _Oh great..._Allen thought as he remembered what it was. He started a basic tune, not too shabby.

_Today is a winding road  
__Taking me to places that I  
__Didn't want to go  
Whoa _

Komui's eyes widened.

_Today in the blink of an eye  
I'm holding on to something  
And I do not know why  
I tried_

Komui was amazed and Allen hadn't even started the Chorus yet. _He's good..._

_I tried to read between the lines  
I tried to look into your eyes  
I want a simple explanation  
For what I'm feeling inside. _

Allen thought this song was quite ironic. Why is it that every song he sang or thought about reminded him of Lavi?

_I gotta find a way out  
__Maybe there's a way out_

The people in the room expected Allen to slightly crack in his voice for the chorus since he was coming from a deep voice to a much more higher chorus...but his voice didn't fail him at all. His voice never seemed to fail him.

_Your voice  
Was the soundtrack of my summer_  
_Do you know you're unlike any other?_  
_You'll always be my thunder_

_And I said_  
_Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors  
I don't ever wanna love another  
You'll always be my thunder_

_So bring  
On the rain  
And bring on the thunder_

And Allen ended it _right there. _He got everyone so into it and just ended it...for his own reasons. One, he didn't want to feel all lovey dovey at the moment and two, last time he sang a whole song...Lavi left before he could finish and he didn't want to feel that pain again. Lavi never seemed to notice that Allen was singing for or to him whenever he sang. The whole room was quiet and Lavi pouted.

"Why didn't you finish?" Lavi asked.

"Eh, I don't feel like it." Allen said and gave the guitar back to him.

"Ugh, liar." Lavi said, pouting. He took the guitar back. "You _will _finish the song. I will _make _you. Just not now because I'm tired and I think it's time for my bed." Lavi said as he stood up and stretched. Some others did the same. Allen looked down at what he was wearing.

"Uh...I guess I'll just wash this and give it back to you?" Allen asked but Lavi waved him off.

"Just keep it."

"Oh...okay..." Allen said awkwardly as he stood up and started for the door. Narain followed him.

"See ya later, Allen~!" Lavi said in a sing-song voice.

"Good night, Lavi."

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**Finally finished! Sorry it took awhile! Wow...I actually did it...phew! 8k words! I'm a beast. The taco part had me laughing because taco is a funny word and I just kept on repeating the word taco and I just giggled. Heh, taco. xD! So did you enjoy it? c; The song was Thunder by Boys Like Girls...I'm so happy(again xD)! I got more voters! :D I'd like to thank the 31 voters for voting for the poll! Each and every one of your votes help me greatly! Also, thank you to MintGreenn, xXxPhantomxXx, Shirubagure, ankhesenamun2, myangelicladyofdarkness, Lyokni, the3leonine (you were so close xD), NoName-chan, Katie2000, Seraphinit, CsillaDream, and the guest for reviewing! Those help a lot too. Oh and suggestions are _still _welcome..._and _Don't Forget To VoTe FoR ThE PoLL!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry I didn't update for awhile...my friend was distracting me with Fiesta (an mmorpg. I'll totally play with you if you want xD) xD Anyways...to vote for the poll, you can just click on my name to go to my profile and it should be at the very top. To see the summaries of the stories, it's in my bio on my profile as well as the results for them so far. I probably won't be updating on Friday's until the Football season (school Football) is over because I'm in the Band and updating on Friday's is pretty tough. The only reason I was able to update it on Friday's beforehand is because I wrote the chapter on paper before. Just a little update I guess. And Monday's and Thursday's I have Band Practice until 5. So that's another reason I'm a bit late today Dx Sorry, I hope this chapter is enough to satisfy your needs xD**

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It was about seven o' clock in the morning when the doorbell to Allen's house rang. Narain sat awake and wondered if Allen would answer the door and about what time it was. The house was quiet for a long time...until the doorbell started ringing several times in a very annoying way. Only one person could've been so impatient that Narain knew, and it had to be Lavi...or someone else he didn't know. Narain grumbled and sat up, look at the clock that read 7:06am. This was when Narain began to wonder who the hell would be here at seven o' clock in the morning. If he remembered, Allen _and _Lavi had work. Narain sighed and walked downstairs to answer the door. Allen hadn't been able to get Narain a bed yet, so they just slept together. It wasn't awkward at all because they used to sleep together all the time when they were younger. They were like brothers so it didn't really affect him.

Narain finally made it to the door sluggishly and the doorbell was _still _ringing. Narain really wanted to punch a wall right now...or preferably the person at the door right now. He yanked the door open and glared at the stranger that was violating Allen's doorbell. The man at the door had the most blank look on his face after Narain answered the door. He kept his finger on the doorbell, causing it to ring for a long time. Narain didn't even know doorbells _did _that. He glared at the man harder and the man just stared at him. _He sure is slow. _Narain thought. The man finally realized why Narain was glaring and instantly took his hand off the doorbell and gave Narain a sheepish grin...one that reminded him of Allen's.

He had dark hair with a brownish tint that was brushed out in a messy but awesome kind of way. He had dark skin and golden eyes that shown a lot of kindness out to others...except with a bit of humor to it. Narain's glare weakened when the man had finally stopped ringing the doorbell. Narain remembered seeing this man somewhere before...but he couldn't exactly remember where...maybe in one of Allen's picture frames? The man's blank face shifted into a strained smile and he tried looking past Narain to see if anyone else (specifically Allen) was in the house besides the brunette boy. Narain stared at him blankly like the man had done him before.

"Um...is Allen home?" The man asked.

"He's at work." Narain replied and then frowned. "Excuse me, but who _are _you?" Narain asked. The man blinked and frowned at Narain, tilting his head.

"Who am I, or what is my name?" The man asked. Narain blinked, so confused at the moment. All he asked was one question...why did this man have to make things more complicated than they already were. Narain just _stared _at him. "Maybe you should introduce yourself first?" The man suggested. Narain frowned and this made the man gasp. "You're not Allen's lover are you?!" Narain's eyes bulged.

"What?! How the hell did you come up with _that _conclusion?!" Narain spoke incredulously. This guy had the wrong idea _completely. _The man scratched the side of his cheek.

"Ah, I guess not...sorry, just throwing out wild guesses I guess. My name is Neah, I'm Allen's uncle." Neah informed. Narain gasped.

"Ah! That's where I saw you from..." Narain mumbled. Neah gave him a bizarre look. "I'm Narain, I was one of Allen's friends when he and Cross visited India. I was actually the one who took them in when they passed out from starvation." Neah blinked at Narain's information.

"Uh huh..." Neah muttered uncertainly. "I guess...can you tell Allen I stopped by? I was coming to see him because..." Neah looked around as if he was afraid someone was looking for him. "...Fou wouldn't let me see him for awhile...I just wanna make sure he's okay..."

Narain was surprised. Allen had told him the story of how after Mana had died, Neah had denied Allen for the longest time while Allen was in the hospital until the funeral. From the funeral onward, Cross had taken him in since Neah was so devastated by his brother's death. Narain had also heard of Allen telling him that it was somewhat his fault and he deserved the fact that Neah gave him no more attention. Of course, Allen wouldn't explain any further about this reason and Narain left it at that. He'd like to know what happened besides the fact that Mana was murdered before Allen's eyes...like...

Why?

Why exactly was Mana murdered? According to Allen, Mana seemed like a really nice person. What would The Akuma have to do with Mana and his brother? He did remember back when Allen was attacked three weeks ago that The Akuma gang had asked Allen about someone's whereabouts...an ex-member of some kind. So that could only mean that Allen and Mana knew who the person they were looking for was...but did Neah also know who The Akuma were after? Narain didn't want to ask, just in case Allen and Mana had actually been keeping it a secret from Neah.

"Oh yeah, he's okay now." Narain reassured. Neah paused for a minute before replying.

"Now? Do you mean he wasn't okay before?" Neah asked worriedly. Narain hesitated in answering that question. If Allen didn't want Neah to know about the whole gang situation...then he would learn about it if Narain told him the truth...so maybe he can go off with a lie? Hopefully Neah wouldn't be able to tell.

"Oh, well he was just a bit sick is all...and you know how protective Fou is. It wasn't really that serious..." Narain lied.

"Oh, okay...well, I guess I'll go then. Please don't forget to tell Allen I stopped by." Neah reminded. Narain nodded.

"I won't. I guess I'll see you later then..." Narain waved at Neah and Neah waved back awkwardly before getting in his car and driving off. Narain closed the door and instantly opened up his cellphone. He dialed Allen's number and could only hope Allen wasn't busy. Allen left around six thirty if Narain remembered, but he did know that Allen's work started at eight and it wasn't far away. Perhaps Lavi and Allen had decided to do something together or something. Or they just wanted to get there early. He pressed the call button and waited while it rang.

Meanwhile, at McDonald's down the road...

Allen was sipping his orange juice after finishing five boxes of Cinnamon Melts. Lavi was simply chatting about a Halloween party he wanted to throw next month. Allen wasn't listening as much whenever he started talking about how excited he was to see girls in costumes. Allen personally didn't care and really didn't have a thing for Halloween since he was easily scared. He remembered clocking Cross in the face once when he wore a Scream costume to scare the hell out of Allen. Allen had been even more scared because then Cross got mad and started running after him. He had never been so scared and locked himself in his room for three whole days. Since then, Allen _hated _Halloween.

"Oi, Allen, are you listening?" Lavi asked, waving a hand in front of Allen's face as he frowned. Allen blinked, realizing that he had zoned out and shuddered at the memory he just had. "Hey, that's rude." Lavi said, pouting. "You should've been listening! I was just getting to the good part about the girls. I mean, what's-"

"Lavi, you _do _realize that I'm gay and I don't care about that, right?" Allen asked in a bored tone with his chin on his hand. Lavi blinked and grinned at Allen sheepishly.

"Oh, right. Well who else am I supposed to talk to this about?! Yu doesn't like that kind of stuff." Lavi whined.

"Well I apologize, but I don't either." Allen said nonchalantly, gazing around the restaurant to see some people staring at them weirdly. Allen didn't care one bit. He hated people who judged him anyways, but he did notice a few guys checking him out-which he personally thought was a bit creepy and weird because he himself didn't think he looked that good looking...maybe he was just imagining it all and being paranoid.

"Oh, so are you going to be there?" Lavi asked.

"Hm?" Allen hummed, looking back at Lavi.

"Are you going to be at my party?" Lavi asked.

"...I'm not a big fan of Halloween." Allen muttered bitterly. Lavi frowned.

"Why not? Is it because you have to bring a date?" Lavi asked. Allen's face completely blanked at that moment. Did Lavi really just say everybody had to bring a date or was he just hearing things? Lavi chuckled at his look. "Well, the rule is that you have to have someone who matches your own theme. So like, if someone wanted to be Alice, another had to be like the White Rabbit..." Lavi trailed off and his eyes got wide. Allen didn't like that look on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" Allen asked cautiously. He honestly didn't want to know.

"I have an idea! It's like, a really _good _idea too!" Lavi exclaimed, jumping out of his seat excitedly. Lots of people looked over then.

"Well, my curious White Rabbit, why don't you just tell the whole world about it?" Allen joked. Lavi looked around and grinned. He sat back down and leaned in close to Allen to tell him what was on his mind. Allen stared at how close their faces were. _Don't blush...don't blush...don't blush..._Allen was inwardly chanting.

"I got the best Idea ever! Okay, listen here." Lavi said, gesturing for Allen to come closer. Allen leaned in when all of a sudden his phone rang. Lavi grumbled and leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Ah, sorry about that." Allen apologized while digging out his phone. "Narain's calling me?" Allen wondered and clicked the answer button. "Hello?" Allen answered and Lavi saw Allen's face go blank. "Did he really? Oh no, no, no, no, no, no you _can't _tell him about that." Allen said with utmost serious while holding the phone close to his ear. Lavi stared at Allen bemusedly. What was he talking about? "Because. He doesn't know anything about...that." Allen's brow seemed to narrow. "Well yeah but..." Allen paused as if Narain had interrupted him. Allen sighed. "Just _please please please _don't tell him _anything _about that, alright? Wait, what did you tell him?" Allen asked, checking the time on his watch and listened to Narain talk. Lavi was giving Allen a suspicious look. What would Allen want to hide so much? Lavi wouldn't question him about it though. "Okay...yeah, alright, thanks a bunch, Narain. Yeah, see ya later." Allen hung up the phone and looked back at Lavi. "Now what?" Allen asked, leaning on the table with his elbows.

"Right. Um, you made me forget. It was such a good idea too!" Lavi whined.

"How do you know it was a good idea if you don't know what it was?" Allen asked.

"Because! I just know it was!" Lavi exclaimed, attracting so much attention.

"You're going to get us kicked out." Allen said in a bored tone. He was starting to look at the menu as if he was thinking about ordering more food. Hey, their Cinnamon Melts were good. Not that Allen was a picky eater or anything...he was just a good cook.

"He is." An annoyed voice said from behind Allen. Lavi looked up and Allen looked over to see a large, muscular, bald woman with strict eyes. She was obviously an employee since she was wearing the uniform. Allen was at loss for words. She was the most manly woman he had ever seen, yet she looked so familiar...

"Ah, I apologize about him miss, he's a bit loud. I'll get him to quiet down." Allen said, smiling while kicking Lavi under the table. Her eyebrows raised slightly. _I think I'm going to like this kid. _The woman thought. She nodded and walked away.

"Allen, that hurt!" Lavi whined loudly, causing the woman to stop from walking away. She turned around, causing Allen to kick Lavi again.

"Shut up! Do you _want _to get kicked out?" Allen whispered.

"No..." Lavi pouted. "Right, I'll lower my voice." Lavi said. "So, I was wondering. I haven't seen him for awhile and all but...where's Cross been?" Lavi asked.

"Oh, he was...um...in the hospital." Allen informed.

"Eh? Was he really? What for?" Lavi asked. Allen bit the inside of his lip.

"Well...you know how I was kinda beat up and all-"

"Kinda?! Dude you were like a rag doll!" Lavi exclaimed. Allen kicked him. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, sorry..." Lavi whined, rubbing his poor abused knee. Allen cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, he was there with me...and he was sent to the hospital." Allen explained.

"Really? So that explains why Anita was always going over there." Lavi mumbled.

"Yeah." Allen said, he knew for a fact that Anita would be visiting Cross.

Even though Cross cheated on her so many times before, Allen knew that Anita still loved Cross. Lots of women who had been Cross' past lovers actually despised Allen as well since they despised Cross. Allen didn't understand the whole concept, but he mostly ignored every lover Cross had. Except for Anita, she had been the first one of Cross' lovers that were nice to him. She especially helped during high school when Allen was going through so much depression. She actually went so far as to buy him anti-depressants...even though they didn't really work. Allen remembered once when some bullies were trying to bully him outside of school and Anita caught them. He had never seen woman so terrifying. Well...except Fou...and this was before Fou.

"Well, I guess it's good he's better now." Lavi muttered, thinking about what could've happened to get Allen and Cross so banged up? Lavi wouldn't ask of course, he would wait until Allen was ready to talk about it. "So about him and Anita..." Lavi trailed off, waiting for Allen to continue where he left off.

"Cross is an arse to her." Allen said, huffing as he leaned back in his seat.

"So, were they together before?" Lavi asked. The employee before seemed interested in what Allen had to say and stuck around. Allen and Lavi were completely oblivious to her.

"Yeah, they were. It was years ago of course, when I was about fifteen. They stayed together for a few years too but he cheated on her so much. Pissed me off a lot because she was pretty helpful to me...during that...time..." Allen trailed off awkwardly.

"Allen...can I ask you a question?" Lavi mumbled quietly so only the two of them can hear. Allen could tell it was serious since Lavi didn't look like he was joking.

"What happened in-" Lavi was interrupted when two hands slammed onto the table. Allen and the employee _both _knew where this was going. Lavi was going to bring up high school and just _thinking _about it terrified Allen...so he flinched a bit when the employee slammed her hands down.

"Uh..." They both mumbled together.

"You're Allen Walker, aren't you?!" The woman said, throwing the subject out of this world. Allen's face burned red when _every single one _of the customers stared at him in shock; either because the employee was actually grinning at him or that they were ex-students with Allen at the high school. Allen sunk low in his seat from embarrassment. Lavi laughed and the customers who were ex-students at the high school's eyes widened. _Since when were Lavi and Allen friends?! _They all thought to themselves.

"...yes?" Even though Allen was thankful for this woman's outburst because Lavi totally forgot all about their subject, but he had no idea who she was. Or at least he didn't think he knew...how did she know him? He didn't think he knew her...maybe he did...

"I thought you looked familiar, I'm Mahoja, remember me?" She introduced, smiling. _No...no way. _Allen thought. His eyes widened. Mahoja, Anita's sister, had pretty long brown hair, a very slim body, cute make up...and less...muscles.

"...what?" Allen asked hoarsely. This _couldn't _be the Mahoja _he _was thinking about. She chuckled.

"I changed quite a bit, I know. It was a little after you started your Senior year. You changed so much from your freshman year, more than just one way too. I mean, you seemed a lot more pessimistic and all, but you really got stronger, so I figured that it was because of Cross, you know? So I got a little training from him and joined the police force after hearing your story, you know? Even though you were going through so much, you still kept going strong. To say you inspired me to be who I am today is an understatement." She said, smiling at him. Meanwhile, Allen was thinking..._I destroyed her...she was so beautiful...and I'm gay saying that..._Lavi was looking at Allen like he was before again. He remembered the topic they were discussing from before since Mahoja had mentioned that he had 'been through so much' and had developed a pessimistic habit...was this because something really happened in high school because of Lavi...was Allen...bullied _that _badly? He really wanted to know...shouldn't Allen have been able to talk about it with him by now?

"...you certainly have changed..." Allen mumbled. She laughed and patted his head.

"And you've grown a few inches. Still short as ever, I see." _She seems a bit TOO talkative today...did something good happen? She's usually not in a very good mood..._

"I'm not short..." Allen grumbled, causing both Mahoja and Lavi to laugh.

"So whose this fine young man here-oh is he your boyfriend?" Mahoja asked. Allen's face turned red and Lavi stopped laughing and looked at Mahoja curiously. Was she serious? Allen shook his head violently._  
_

"No! He's not!" Allen growled. Where would she get that idea at? Lavi pouted.

"Awe, Allen, would I be that bad of a boyfriend?" Lavi pouted. Allen opened his mouth but closed it. He gave Lavi a _really _weird look.

"Okay, what is _that _supposed to mean?" Allen asked. Mahoja just raised her eyebrows.

"Alright then...who is he then?" Mahoja asked, giving Allen a curious look.

"Mahoja, this is Lavi." Allen said, gesturing to the red headed man he was introducing. Mahoja blinked a few times before she narrowed her eyes at him a bit. The same way Cross did whenever he looked at Lavi when Allen mentioned that he was his friend.

"Really, is that so?" She asked.

"Okay, _why _do people always give me that look whenever you introduce me to people you know. Narain, Fou, and Cross all gave me that look." Lavi said, frowning.

"Um, just ignore that look." Allen said. He looked at his watch again. "So what were you saying about that party?" Allen asked regretfully. He didn't want to bring up the party, but it was the only way to get Lavi off the subject. Mahoja was impressed at how well Allen avoided that situation quickly. She'd have to ask Cross about the whole friendship between Lavi and Allen. The last time she checked, Lavi was the reason for Allen's bullying. Just like he expected, Lavi brightened up quickly.

"Oh, so you _are _going! Oh, we've _got _to get you a costume!" Lavi exclaimed excitedly. Mahoja was starting to think that Lavi was the gay one here. Lavi looked at Allen's watch. "What are we doing just chilling here, let's go get you one now!" Lavi pulled Allen up and started dragging him out of the restaurant.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, Lavi. Agh, see ya later Mahoja!" Allen shouted before he disappeared from view. Mahoja shrugged and threw Allen's orange juice in the trash. Allen didn't remember how Lavi had grabbed a hold of his keys, but Lavi was the currently driving to some famous costume store. Allen did see Lavi look over at him from time to time in the corner of his eye. Allen checked his watch. They probably had about forty-five minutes to go shopping.

As long as Lavi didn't make him wear anything embarrassing...

* * *

**Oh my god. EW! Okay, so you know how some people chew tobacco and spit in a can/cup/bottle/whatever they can find? Well, my mom's boyfriend was spitting in the Pepsi can she was _still drinking out of. _And then she took a sip. I can't even -shudder- that's just so damn disgusting! I get the mizzles just THINKING about it! Yeah, so thanks to the extra voters for voting while I was...off? 35! Wow, I feel awesome ^^ Yeah xD Also, thanks to Shirubagure, Lyokni, ankhesenamun2, ellarockabella, midnightstardust, smileysparklea, bookspazz55, NoName-chan, the3leonine, Snipperita, Katie2000, and the guests for reviewing! I really appreciate them ^^ Ugh...I'm starting to re-read Sekaiichi Hatsukoi again xD I need to stop. It's so cute though! If any of you are interested and haven't read it yet and like yaoi, that's a CUTE yaoi manga. As well as Junjou (Junjo?) Romantica. Same author writes both of them. Anyways, VOTE FOR DA POLL! :D**


	32. Chapter 32

**Well, first of all, I have no idea what I'm being for Halloween. Last year I was a vampire, the year before that I was a green zombie...I actually scared the crap out of some random kid on accident. We were marching in the Halloween parade and I followed the wrong band and asked a drummer where the other band (my band) was...his eyes were so wide it was hilarious. The year before that I was a vampire again, and before that I was a...um...I can't even remember...but I do remember being a Pegasus once. Lol, I wanted to be a Pikachu this year...but then we left the mall. Now I still have to go to Party City (maybe this weekend) to get a costume. They're like $30-60 at the mall and $10 at Party City. Woot, go Party City! xD They're probably less exotic though and that's why. I feel so lonely...no one wants to play Fiesta with me D: my friends just ignore me while I level up on my own xD...so depressing, huh? Just kidding, anyways I _really _don't know what to make Allen as for Halloween. I have an idea for Lavi and I'm actually starting to think about basing all of Lenalee, Kanda, Lavi, Narain, Fou, Bak, maybe Komui and Allen's costumes on Alice in Wonderland and they can go as a group! Hey, no one ever said the party had to be at Lavi's house. Just because it's his party, that doesn't mean anything...maybe if I delete a few things here and add a few things there...it would be Allen in Wonderland! xD Why does that sound so familiar to me? :l but I would have no idea what the outfit for Allen would actually look life if he was a male Alice. If Bookman went to the Party I'd make him be a Panda hahahahaha. So...should I actually base those off it though? I dunno...I really needs some help now hahaha suggestions are welcome! XD**

* * *

Allen had barely stepped out of the car when Lavi latched onto his wrist and started dragging him into the store. Allen sighed as Lavi bounced over to the costumes available. Allen stood there was Lavi shopped. Allen wasn't really interested in shopping as much as Lavi was...in fact, he wasn't interested in all...better yet, he didn't even want to go to the stupid party. Allen went to a random wall and sulked while he leaned up against it. He didn't even _like _Halloween.

"Lavi, don't you think it's a bit too early to be shopping for Halloween?" Lenalee said, popping out of nowhere. If Allen was looking at her, he'd be able to tell that she actually worked here since she was wearing a wacky witch costume with a name badge around her neck. All the employee's at the store dressed up in a costume. Lenalee thought she should dress up as a witch for October since it was near Halloween.

"No way! This is when all the costumes are cheap: _before _Halloween..." Lavi whispered the rest of his sentence to her, as if he was afraid that Allen would hear him...even though Allen wasn't paying any attention to him whatsoever.

"Really?" Lenalee ran around a corner and spotted Allen, who was sulking up against a wall. She sweat dropped at his disinterest in the costumes. Allen didn't even notice them staring at him from around the corner. "He doesn't look very excited about it..." Lenalee commented. Lavi shrugged at her observation. "So you're sure he's coming? Who's he coming with?" She asked _very _curiously.

"Dunno." Lavi replied.

"What about you? Do you have a date for it?" Lenalee paused until she saw the look on Lavi's face. Lavi _always _had a date, whether he wanted to or not. "Right, stupid question. Hm, what about Tyki?" She suggested.

"Hell no." Lavi replied bitterly. Lenalee raised her brows, amused at Lavi's harsh tone.

"Um..." Lenalee tapped her chin. "Devit?"

"Fuck no." Lenalee winced, his tone was even more bitter than the last!

"Well, he has to have a date...that's a guy...who's gay..." Lenalee said, stating the obvious. "Aha! What about Narain or Suman?" Lavi blinked at her suggestions.

"Huh, I didn't even think about those two-hold on." Lavi stepped out from behind the costume rack (corner) they were hiding behind and bounced over towards Allen while he called for the younger teen. "Oi, Allen!" Allen looked up, hearing his name being called.

"Hm?" Allen hummed in acknowledgement.

"Is Narain gay?" Lavi asked bluntly. Allen frowned at him curiously and Lenalee smacked her forehead. _Idiot. _

"Um, can I ask why?"

"Well I dunno, don't you need a date for the party?" Lavi asked. Allen deadpanned and stared at Lavi for a very long time before speaking.

"You aren't suggesting that Narain and I go together, right?" Allen asked.

"Bingo." Lavi winked. Allen rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to go with Narain. He's like a brother to me. It would be like...you and Kanda going together." Allen compared. Lavi deadpanned like Allen had before and Lenalee cracked up laughing.

"Are you saying _you _want to go with Kanda?" Lavi asked stupidly. Allen face palmed.

"No, that's not what I was saying, Lavi."

"Ugh, then who do you want to go with?!" Lavi whined. Allen narrowed his eyes at Lavi.

"How am I supposed to know? It was your idea in the first place that I go." Allen replied. Lavi pouted.

"Are you saying that you don't want to go?!" Lavi gasped. _How can he be so smart, but so stupid at the same time? _Allen wondered incredulously. Allen simply grunted so that he wouldn't have to answer Lavi. Lavi still waited for his response though. Allen sighed.

"I don't particularly like Halloween." Allen said, wincing from a certain memory.

"How can you _not _like Halloween? You get to scare the shit out of people, and it's fun, trust me I know." Lavi grinned.

"...fun for you maybe..." Allen mumbled. Lavi didn't catch it but Lenalee did and giggled. Lavi held his hand to his ear.

"What was that?"

"I just don't. I don't even know what kind of costume to wear." Allen said, changing the subject. He was not about to tell Lavi that he was terrified on Halloween.

"Well, what are some talent you have-oh wait...that's a stupid question you have a lot of different talents." Lavi hummed. Allen checked his watch again. They probably had about thirty minutes before their shift started and it took fifteen minutes to actually get there.

"Lavi, we should leave." Allen suggested.

"Why? I wanna get costumes!" Lavi whined.

"Well, _you _can get costumes within a three week period, can't you? If you hadn't noticed, it's 7:30. That means that we have thirty minutes to get to work before our shift starts. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be late. Lavi sighed.

"Awe, okay...see ya later, Lenalee!" Lavi waved at Lenalee wildly, blowing her cover.

"Lenalee?" Allen blinked and turned around to see Lenalee waving at him sheepishly while hiding behind a costume rack. _Well that isn't suspicious at all. _Allen thought sarcastically, sweat dropping. Allen turned to Lavi with an expectant look on his face and his hand out. Lavi stared at the hand curiously. "My keys, Lavi, my keys."

"Awe, but I like driving your car!" Lavi whined. Allen sighed and crossed his arms.

"As long as we get there on time, I'm fine with anything...unless you crash it. Then I won't be fine at all, and neither will you." Allen said casually. Lavi gulped and nodded his head.

"Don't worry, Allen! I've never crashed anything in my life!" Lavi said positively. Lenalee snorted and Allen looked at her before giving Lavi a 'are you lying?' look. Lavi laughed nervously. "Right! Let's go, we should hurry up before we're late! I hear we're getting new uniforms!" Lavi exclaimed excitedly as he dragged Allen out of the costume store. Lenalee rolled her eyes and got back to work.

Allen shivered and was glad that his seats heated themselves by the click of a button. They didn't take long to heat up either. Lavi pulled up at a stop light and looked over at Allen, who was relaxing in his comfortably warm seat. Lavi looked back at the road and drove as soon as the light turned green. Allen laid his head up against the cold window, ignoring the temperature. He gazed out at the streets, seeing some stores that he had never seen before. He'd probably end up checking them out anyways. Lavi looked at him and the road simultaneously. Allen blinked when he spotted a familiar street that he and his father lived on when he was younger...Allen averted his gaze from the street. Lavi noticed this. He eyed the street curiously before they arrived at HQ. They were ten minutes early.

"Dang it." Lavi whined. Allen rose one of his eyebrows.

"What's wrong?" Allen asked.

"We're early! I wanted to walk in right on time!" Lavi complained. Allen rolled his eyes and closed his eyes, smiling at Lavi's antics.

"So what, do we wait in the car until then?" Allen asked jokingly. He only received silence and took that as a yes. He didn't mind laying in the warm care for a few minutes, not at all.

Allen began thinking about Lavi's party. He could only hope that it slid moreover to the party part than the Halloween part; and if there was a lot of the Halloween part, he could only hope that nothing was going to pop out at him. He wouldn't want to look like a total wimp in front of everyone. Hey, it wasn't his fault Cross had scarred his memory! Allen's mind went completely blank when he felt a hot breath on his lips. _Um...what? Okay, don't panic, don't panic, you're probably just imagining things. Lavi wouldn't even be able to crawl across the..._Allen's mind blanked completely when felt a pair a lips on his own. He couldn't even register what was going through his mind right now. He opened his eyes just slightly to see Lavi's face, his left eye was closed and Allen guess his right eye was closed as well...if he had a right eye.

Since Allen's mind had gone temporarily blank, his body took over and obliged with Lavi's invitation. Allen didn't know why, but this kind of thing just felt automatic to him...is this what best friends were supposed to do? He hoped so, because he didn't think Lavi loved him as much as Allen loved him. Allen wasn't complaining at Lavi's new attitude towards him, but he was a bit confused by his actions. He needed to ask someone who was really close to Lavi about his actions. But that would come in due time. Lavi's lips paused over Allen's and Allen could feel him grin. _What's he smiling about? _Allen wondered.

"You have _got _to be the best kisser I've ever kissed." Lavi mumbled against Allen's lips. Allen blushed deeply at Lavi's statement and replied what was on his mind.

"Lavi...we're in a parking lot..." Allen informed. Lavi's smile widened and he pecked him.

"I know that." He said in a carefree tone.

"...won't someone see us? Aren't you wo-mmph" Lavi interrupted Allen's worried words with a deep kiss. Allen's tongue corresponded with Lavi's. Lavi wasn't trying to dominate him or anything, they were just making out regularly like a couple would...not that Allen would know much of the difference. Lavi smirked at how easily he could get Allen to shut up. Allen rolled his eyes under his eyelids.s

Lavi was so full of himself.

Allen started getting hotter and it wasn't just because of the seat heater. It could have something do with Allen feeling Lavi's hand rubbing up and down in a slow motion on his thigh. Allen blushed even deeper and clenched his hand around Lavi's shirt. He could only hope that no one would pull in the parking lot when he felt Lavi's hand start roaming up his shirt. He had to stop it at that point. He couldn't let Lavi go on or who knew what would happen. Even Allen knew that _that _wasn't something best friends do.

"Lavi..." Allen muttered.

"Hm?" Lavi hummed, his hand going higher than it should.

"...it's time to go..." Allen whispered, looking at the clock to see it was exactly 7:50am. Lavi let out a short laugh and opened the door.

"Alright, if you say so." Lavi said and hopped out. Allen didn't even realize that his seatbelt was unbuckled until Lavi 'helped' him out; and by 'helped,' Allen meant 'dragged.' Lavi seemed to be doing that to him a lot lately. Lavi closed the door and locked the car. He started walking off and threw the keys behind him. Allen caught them and followed him inside. They stepped in right at eight o' clock, and a blood covered Scream mask launched out at them. Allen let out a high pitched noise and hid behind Lavi. Lavi blinked and the person wearing the Scream mask started laughing. The mask came off and Lavi recognized the perpetrator as Cross; and then he sweat dropped. He think he may know why Allen didn't like Halloween very much.

"Ah, works every time." Cross chuckled. Anita gave him a disapproving scowl. Allen and Lavi looked at all the decorations everywhere and then at the 'Open' sign, which was off. Anita clapped her hands and smiled at them. Lavi felt Allen flinch over his shoulder.

"Alright, boys, chop chop, back to work." She demanded and everyone who was staring at the scene had gotten back to decorating. She turned to Allen and Lavi and smiled. "You guys ready?"

"Ready for what?" Allen asked cautiously.

"Well, Halloween of course!"

Allen had a feeling he was going to despise October for the rest of his life.

* * *

**Finally, it's over! Hahaha, Fiesta distracted me so much during this chapter and it's hard to write whenever everyone's STARING at me. I hate it when people watch me while I write; and because I type fast and the keyboard clicks and all, my mom's boyfriend was getting really annoyed so I had to try and type softer. The only thing I can't really type fast is numbers xD At least they're not asking what I'm writing anymore! :D So, I really need to know about my idea, is it a go or no go for Allen in Wonderland? xD Anyways, thanks to the 37 voters for the poll and thanks to smileysparklea, Shirubagure, bookspazz55, fullmetal96100, ankhesenamun2, Lyokni, Clueless4You, Snipperita, ellarockabella, NoName-chan, and Guest Party 1 (guest) for reviewing! :3 And since this was only 2k words, the next chapter will be 6k words, just giving you a heads up ^^ On a totally different note...does anyone else have any, oh I dunno, Laven stories they'd like to share with me? Heh right, so don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! ^^'**


	33. Chapter 33

**Well...this is a bit...frustrating. I'm glad that some of you like the whole Allen in Wonderland thing too, but I've come across a small problem. More than one person said that it was too original and there were too many Allen in Wonderland fictions already o.O which I find a bit weird because I've never read one before. The only reason I really thought it up was because I was thinking about Ouran High School Host Club the other day and everyone was dressed up in Alice in Wonderland costumes. I didn't really think there were a lot of fictions used with it. I thought this all out too...so now I'm stumped. Therefore, the party will be held off until I can think of something! I could just go the easy way out and do the whole Allen in Wonderland though because a certain reviewer had a good point: It would be easier for Allen if he just went with a group. He could always go with everyone instead of one person as a ****_date _****ya know? Because him and Tyki aren't all unicorns and butterflies, the twins are absolute perverts, Road's a creepy stalker, and Allen doesn't know the other Noah's as...well...that was an upside to the whole group thing. So...should I still go with the Allen in Wonderland here? Yay or nay? Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

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"Allen, come help me over here!" Anita shouted. Allen ran over quickly to help and started climbing up a large ladder to lace streamers in hoops on the chandeliers with her. She seemed to appreciate the help a lot and smiled at him.

For an 'anything goes' restaurant, it sure was fancy when everyone cleaned it up. Allen didn't even realize how big the place was without all the tables everywhere. Allen was actually a bit curious as to where the tables _were. _They certainly weren't in the building. He thought that they would be in some type of storage closet, but when he opened the door, tons and tons of Halloween and other holiday decorations came tumbling out. Allen was a bit afraid of what they were doing for Christmas...if he made it to Christmas...

Setting up props for Halloween already seemed dangerous enough as it was. Not to mention that Fou would randomly pop out and molest him. She could be _herself _for Halloween and terrify the hell out of little kids. Fou could be a scary person when she wanted to, and Lavi also experienced that for himself. Even Kanda would back off if Fou started shouting. Halloween was definitely going to be a lot more...eventful than the last one Allen had. The last one Allen had, he was too terrified to leave his room so he stayed in there for the entire day.

Allen sighed with relief as him and Anita finally laced the streamers around the final chandelier. Lavi was too busy carrying more streamers in, he didn't seem to notice the ladder and bumped into it. How coincidental was it that Allen and Anita _both _fell...and that wasn't the coincidental part. They both seemed to fall into the arms of the people they loved. Lavi's hands, which used to hold Halloween decorations, now held a horrified teenager that was clinging to him as if he was about to die. Anita and Cross both blushed whenever Anita fell in his arms. He was definitely glad that he put the wine glass he was holding earlier down.

"U-um...th-thank you..." Allen mumbled after he realized that he was in Lavi's arms. Lavi just seemed so...blank about the whole thing. He didn't even blink once. This had to be the second time that Allen had mysteriously fallen out of the sky and into Lavi's arms. Lavi was busy remembering the last time this happened. Allen stared at Lavi, waiting for the red head to let go. "Uh, you can put me down now..." Allen said. Lavi didn't respond. Allen waved his hand in front of Lavi's face and Lavi blinked and shook his head. He looked down at Allen.

"What?"

"I said, you can put me down now." Allen repeated.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Oh and you're welcome for saving you." Lavi said, grinning as he set Allen back on his two feet. Allen looked at him, his face full of disbelief. Lavi gave him a puzzled look and was about to ask about the look when Allen replied.

"I said thank you!" Allen said, putting his hands on his hips. This action caused Lavi to look down at Allen's hands, which caused him to look at Allen's hips as well. He regretted doing that and instantly looked away, blushing.

"Oh...right...I knew that..." He muttered, blushing. He couldn't believe he actually looked at Allen's hips. Allen frowned at Lavi, utterly confused with the entirely different attitude Lavi gave him. "...what?" _Crap, did he see me do that? _Lavi thought, panicking.

"...nothing..." Allen mumbled and looked away from him to look at all the decorations. It literally looked like Halloween blew up inside HQ.

The railings were filled with black and orange rail decorations that had mini pumpkins on them. The tables, which had mysteriously turned up a few minutes later, had been covered with all sorts of tablecloth designs. On each table was a scary looking pumpkin with a spider web attacked to it. There were also leaping spiders in the corners that if you got near them, they would...well, leap...and there were fake hands at the bar so that every time someone would try and grab a drink, the hand would most likely lurch at them and grab the person's hand.

On the outside, white cobwebs littered every window, but holes were made so people could see the signs. On the cobwebs were very _real _looking spiders. On the sidewalks, there were fake, lit-up pumpkins that led to the doorway. Anita had purposefully spilled fake blood on the windows and some of the employees had fun putting their hand prints all over the window. If Allen had looked at it from the outside, he would've mistaken it for a Haunted House and ran away screaming.

"Okay!" Anita said loudly enough for everyone to hear. She also clapped a few times. "Now, costume ideas!" Everyone started chattering and Allen sighed. Not _this _again. "First, we should probably note that there will be _no _Scream costumes." Anita gave a pointed look at Cross. "Anything else we should try and avoid?" Anita asked.

"Needles!" Lavi suddenly shouted. Everyone stared at him and Allen. Allen blushed when Lavi pointed at him. "He'll pass out."

"Thank you, Lavi, for telling the whole world!" Allen replied with a fake cheerful smile. Lavi patted Allen on the shoulder.

"No problemo, we wouldn't want a great cook passing out." Lavi replied. Everyone laughed at them.

"Right, no needles either, anything else?" Anita asked. Crickets were chirping. "Okay, then, now for the actual idea. It's gotta be something scary, but nothing too scary to cause someone to hyperventilate." Anita informed.

"Who would hyperventilate?" One of the random employees of HQ, who came in late, asked. Everyone pointed at Allen, suddenly knowing so much about how much the boy hates Halloween from just _being _there. Allen couldn't even count how many times he had a heart attack that morning.

"Thanks guys for pointing that out." Allen grumbled.

"Actually Allen, we pointed _you _out. See our fingers? They're pointing at _you _not tha-"

"I get it, Lavi!" Allen interrupted Lavi. Lavi grinned at him. Anita sighed and smiled at them.

"Well, I guess we'll talk about costumes later-"

"NO!" Lavi whined loudly. "I have an idea!" Lavi jumped up and down.

"What's that?" Anita asked, smiling wider, happy that someone _finally _had an idea.

"Circus!"

"Circus?" Anita questioned. Lavi nodded his head.

"You know how some people are afraid of clowns? Well that's something Allen isn't afraid of. So we can all dress up as a horrifying circus!" Lavi suggested, remembering the juggling Allen did.

"Why would someone be afraid of clowns? I thought they were good people." Allen asked and frowned. Lavi perked out his lips.

"Um, I think they're scared of the make up...or some movies have scary clowns in them...so yeah..." Lavi explained.

"Really? I always found them amusing." Allen said, tapping his chin.

"Then you'd be a great clown." Lavi joked. Everyone laughed. Allen blinked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked defensively.

"Nothing, Allen, nothing." Lavi said, patting him on the head. Allen grumbled and everyone laughed again.

"So then what would that make you?" Allen asked. Everyone looked at each other.

"I think Lavi would make a great ringmaster." Anita replied to Allen's question.

"And I think Fou could be a lion tamer." Lavi proposed. She was probably so terrifying she would _scare _the lion _away. _

"Bak should be the lion." Fou piped up randomly. Bak hung his head. Anita smiled at all the suggestions she was getting.

"Alright then! I guess we'll just have to write all this down and order the costumes from the costume store down the street since we're all too lazy to actually go over there!" Anita decided. They all sweat dropped. "Remember though, guys, this has to be a horror circus." She reminded. They all nodded their heads in agreement. Allen didn't think that this was such a good idea though. Sure, he loved clowns, but he didn't like scaring people while being dressed as a clown. He particularly thought that clowns were kind people who only wanted to make people smile. Anita grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote quickly on it. There were categories and lines under each category. She patted it on a table. "_Everyone _has to sign up. Otherwise, they're not getting paid. Oh, and don't worry Bak, I got a lion category just for you!" Anita sang, pulling at his cheek. Bak huffed in a frustrated sort of way.

"Let's go sign up!" Lavi said and dragged Allen along with him. Allen stood behind Lavi, digging at his nails while others lined up behind him. He felt someone tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Fou.

"Oh, hello Fou." Allen greeted, smiling. She gave a lazy wave.

"Yo, so how have you been?" Fou asked.

"I guess I've been pretty good. How about you?"

"Oh yeah, pretty good I guess." She replied.

Such an original conversation.

Fou felt another person push her out of the way and was about to flip out on the soon-to-be-poor-girl until she saw the look of sparkles in her eyes when she looked at Allen. Allen blinked a few times, utterly confused about the girl's admiring look. Lavi turned around and she outright _squealed. _All three of them blinked several times at the girl's odd antics. Allen hesitated before asking her what was wrong...he didn't have a chance to even ask before she interrupted him.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, are you two a couple?" She asked excitedly. Lavi's jaw dropped and a blush covered Allen's cheeks. Fou gaped at the girl and started cracking up. She was trying so hard to get them together herself. They didn't need help _looking _like a couple, that was for sure. They just needed to patch up the few leaks they had going on.

"I-I...n-no, I...I don't understand..." Allen stuttered out. The random fangirl giggled.

"You two should get together! You're so cute together!" She chirped, jumping up and down. Allen covered his mouth and blushed deeply.

"I'm going to...go over here..." Allen mumbled and walked away from the giggling girl; he hoped that Lavi signed him up already. Lavi snorted and Fou slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Yo, Lavi, I've got something to ask you about. If you'll excuse us..." Fou nodded towards the girl and the girl nodded and ran off to antagonize and most likely embarrass some more people. Fou still had her arm around him as she led him away from the large crowd of people. She stopped and faced him with the most serious look he's ever seen her wear. "How do you feel about Allen?" She asked.

"Um...what do you mean?" Lavi asked nervously. Fou caught on to the nervousness in his voice and smirked.

"Oh, ho, ho, it seems like someone's in love~!" She sang slyly. Lavi blushed.

"I am not!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Fou asked cheekily.

"I'm not blushing! I don't blush!" Lavi declined and crossed his arms stubbornly, looking away.

"So you're _sure _you're not in love with him, right?" Fou asked. Lavi grunted.

"...no..." He said, hiding his uncertainty. Fou could see right through him though. She noticed Allen walking over.

"Oh, so you won't mind if I do this then?" Fou strutted past him and grabbed a hold of Allen's shirt and roughly pressed her lips against. Allen's eyes widened magnificently. Bak was standing there yawning like his girlfriend wasn't making out with a gay guy. Allen was so shocked he couldn't fully process what was going on. He couldn't push her away either because of her chest. Allen looked around with panic in his eyes. What was he supposed to do. "Kiss me back." Fou growled. "Do it, just trust me." Fou growled lowly in her throat and Allen had no other choice but to let her dominate him. Yeah. That's right. She dominated him. Why? Well, Bak would never let Fou lead so she decided to lead with Allen. She pushed him against the wall and Lavi just _stared. _He felt an itching feeling boiling in his body. He recognized this feeling from anywhere, and he didn't want to accept this feeling at the moment. He just couldn't admit it...

Lavi couldn't admit he was jealous.

Fou saw the look of envy on Lavi's face and smirked. Allen also looked over where she was and blushed when he saw Lavi glaring at Fou. The only reason Lavi could be glaring at her is because Fou was kissing him. Not many people kissed Allen often...except Lavi. Allen hadn't kissed anyone in a month...except Lavi. Allen doesn't kiss a lot of people...except Lavi. Allen doesn't want to kiss a lot of people...except Lavi. _Oh dear, I hope he's not going to be mad at me...wait, he can't really be mad though...it's not like we're dating or anything...but then why is he glaring at her in the first place. _She grinned and released Allen from the kiss. Allen touched his lips. He couldn't really explain it...but his lips felt weird...he really just wanted to run over to Lavi and kiss him right now. He didn't know why he felt like doing that, but he did. It was like Fou's kiss was invading his sense of space.

It just felt so _wrong. _

Fou walked back over to Lavi with a huge smirk on her face and her hands on her hips. Lavi just glared at her. He didn't say anything, he didn't do anything, he just stared at her...well, more like glared. She rose her eyebrows at him and waited for his response. Lavi couldn't say that he didn't care that she did that. It was impossible for him to say that because he _did _care. He _did _like Allen...if not just a little bit, but he still liked him (_A little bit!) _and when Lavi likes someone (_A little bit!), _he doesn't appreciate someone else kissing the person because they think it would be funny. So Lavi just stayed quiet.

"Nice composure, Lavi. I'm surprised you survived through that." Fou said, clearly impressed.

"Like I said, I'm not in love with him." Lavi declared. Unfortunately for Lavi, Allen actually heard what Lavi said.

One of those leaks just busted.

Allen _knew _Lavi didn't love him...but Lavi didn't have to actually say it. Maybe that was why Fou kissed him then, so he could prove it to her that he didn't love him. This just sent Allen hurtling back down to reality. What was he thinking lately? That he could just kiss Lavi and everything would be okay? That he could just be friends with Lavi even though he was desperately in love with the red head? _What was I thinking? _Allen knew that there'd be heartbreak if he was just Lavi's friend...so why did he fall so hard?

Allen was left pondering about his and Lavi's friendship while Fou gave up on trying to get Lavi to say he loved Allen. Then she noticed said teen, leaning against the wall. His mouth was sheathed by his hand and he looked _absolutely depressed. Oh shit, did he hear us? Damn it..._Fou thought bitterly. Allen closed his eyes and opened them again. The shine he used to have in his eyes wasn't there anymore. It ached Fou's heart to see him so dull like that. She shouldn't have pestered Lavi about the subject. Allen wouldn't look so hurt if she didn't.

"Okay! Well, I'd like to thank you all for working so hard today! You're dismissed!" Anita announced. Allen didn't wait for any other announcements and headed straight for the door. _Oh no, I can't let you leave just yet. _Fou thought and jogged after Allen.

"Yo, Allen, wait up!" Fou slammed into him and took his shocked emotions to the advantage and dragged him away from the offending door. She dragged him off somewhere privately. "Don't worry about what Lavi said, alright? He wasn't telling the truth, trust me, I know. I saw it with my own eyes. He was totally jealous." Fou said, laughing. Allen gave her a sad smile.

"It's alright, Fou, really." Allen said. Fou could still see the hurt in Allen's eyes.

"No, it's not alright. Listen to me Allen. I _promise _that he does feel _something _for you. That something is more than friendship too. I _promise. _Trust me." Fou said, staring into his eyes. Allen stared back and saw no hint of lying. He bit his lip and looked away.

"Well...yeah, but...if it is something, Fou...it's probably just a crush. It'll go away. I don't mind him loving someone else, as long as he's happy, I'm fine with that." Allen spoke honestly. Fou let out the most loudest squeal _ever. _She then started to push him back to the door.

"That was the most cutest thing I've ever heard you say about Lavi. Don't worry, Allen, everything will work out alright in the end. Just ignore all the problems right now and continue living your happy little life, alright?" Fou said more than asked. "Just ignore all that went on with Lavi here today!" Allen smiled. That was a good thing to think of. He should do that.

"If you say so." Allen replied, opening the door. He walked outside and saw Lavi leaning against the car, waiting on Allen. Allen unlocked the door and Lavi jumped. He spun around and saw Allen.

Awkward silence.

Lavi didn't know what to say to Allen about the whole 'Fou randomly making out with Allen' thing. He was jealous, to be honest-not that he'd admit it-and he really wanted to replace Fou's kiss with his own...but then Allen would probably look at him weird. Lavi had to do it unexpectedly, that way Allen would only think that he needed the kiss. A plot began forming in his head as Allen started the ignition and drove back towards the house. He didn't realize how uncomfortable he was making Allen by just staring. He also didn't realize that even though he wasn't staring at anything, his gaze was on Allen. Lavi didn't even realize he was staring at Allen until they made it to Allen's house and he stopped the car. Allen pulled the keys out and stared back at Lavi with a blank expression on his face. _Perfect! _Lavi finally thought. He zoned back in and deadpanned when he realized that Allen was staring at him.

"What?" Lavi asked. Allen narrowed his eyes at Lavi. _Does he not realize that he was staring at me this whole time...better yet, was he actually staring at me or am I just being paranoid? _Allen thought of it as the latter and climbed out of the car. Allen started for the house and Lavi hurriedly grabbed his wrist and started dragging Allen over to the house he was in. Allen frowned.

"Um, what are you doing?" Allen asked.

"Well, I figured that since we haven't hung out in awhile..." Lavi trailed off when he opened the door and continued as soon as he shut it. "We all are going to be hanging out today!" Lavi said excitingly. _Didn't we just hang out yesterday? _Allen wondered. He didn't question this.

"Okay, then what are we doing today?" Allen asked.

"Oh just a few games and then a movie? I'll get Lenalee and Kanda too!" Lavi grinned and ran around the house, looking for the two. The weird thing was...they weren't home...Lavi walked back, truly confused. "...they're not here..." Lavi frowned. The doorbell rang and Lavi quickly ran over to it, hoping it was the two he was looking for.

It wasn't.

It was Fou. She smiled evilly and invited herself in, knowing that Allen would either have come over to Lavi's house, or Lavi would invite him in to clear all the poison off Allen's lips...okay maybe not the whole poison part, but Fou loved thinking about those kinda things. She looked around, noticing the lack of Kanda and Lenalee in the house. She inwardly gasped. _Or were they going to do something else? _She thought. She then tried picturing what she was thinking and had a nosebleed. Lavi and Allen were shocked by the sudden appearance of blood.

"F-Fou! Are you alright?!" Allen hurried over but she held her hand up to stop him from coming any closer.

"I'm fine, sorry about that." She assured.

"If you're sure..." Allen mumbled, staring at the blood running out of her nose with slight disgust.

"So hey, Narain said you had a hot tub, Lavi." Fou said, wiggling her eyebrows at them. "I also heard that you all went in there _without _me." Fou crossed her arms. "Not only _that _but I heard that you two were _alone _together as well." Fou's smirk widened. "Now why don't you two show me exactly what you did together? Because imagining it isn't enough; and I _know _you two did _something _from the look on Allen's face." Allen felt like smacking his forehead for giving them away. He always felt a blush on his cheeks whenever Fou brought up the two of them.

"...um...we...I..." Allen couldn't even say what he needed to say. "...I don't know what you're talking about..." Allen stuttered. Lavi started laughing.

"Fou just wants some fan-service." Lavi said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's right and unless one of you want to be the lion, you _will _show me." Fou said, smiling politely.

Today was going to be a long day.

Allen felt some deja vu going on here.

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**Wow guys...300 reviews...I'm just so freaking happy right now...I would've made it longer, but I had to get off. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though! I'm going to be eating chocolate covered strawberries while you guys read this so I'm gonna be happy! To sum this AN up, I'm gonna leave it with a thank you to all the 38 voters and I hope you all will continue to vote. Remember that you can choose more than one vote ^^ Lastly, thanks to fullmetal96100, roseahal, bookspazz55, VeridianSoul, Shirubagure, ankhesenamun2, Snipperita, WouldBeExorcist, xxFall3n-Ang3lxx, NoName-chan, Seraphinit, and the3leonine for reviewing-WOOHOO NEW REVIEWERS I'M SO HAPPY! ^^'**


	34. Chapter 34

**I apologize for not updating yesterday. I had Band Practice and then as I started writing the chapter...I got totally distracted. I'm a bit distracted now actually. I kinda overslept and missed my bus and no one was here to take me to school. So I decided to write another chapter. I keep hearing strange noises downstairs; and all of our animals are upstairs. So I'm a little freaked out and I can't tell if it's coming from next door (I live in a duplex). I swear, the weirdest things happen when you have a neighbor that's a wall away from you. They started complaining that our house smells (because of the animals) because they can 'smell it through the vents.' Psh, whatever. Our landlord threatened that if we didn't keep our house clean, he was going to have to make sure we don't have any animals. Yeah-I'm rambling. So I hope you somewhat amused with situation that had nothing to do with why I was distracted xD Oh, and shout out to Lyokni, one of my oh-so-dedicated reviewers! I hope you feel better! ^^ Enjoy the chapter! If you're jealous...get over it. xD Jkjk! Anyways, onto the story! Just to get you excited: Have you ever wondered what Allen acted like when he drank whiskey?**

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"Oh c'mon Fou, just _one _movie? I like movies!" Lavi whined. "We can all watch it together and then get in the hot tub later, when it's night time. It's more fun that way because there's lights and stuff!" Lavi persuaded. Fou perked out her lips and narrowed her eyes.

"Or, you just don't want anyone to see you and Allen making out." Fou suggested. Allen blushed and Lavi groaned.

"That's not it! We haven't made out since...hm, when was the last time we made out, Allen? Probably whenever you forced us to." Lavi said, giving Fou a pointed look.

Allen could tell he was lying. Hey, when you hang around the red head for a couple of months (not even that because Allen hadn't seen him in breaks during that time), you start to recognize his body gestures and the look in his eyes. But Fou didn't hang around Lavi as much as Allen did, so she couldn't tell he was lying; therefore, Allen went along with his little charade and nodded his head. Lavi obviously didn't want anyone to know about him and Allen making out. _Because we're not dating of course. I'm sure he wouldn't care if we were dating though-not that we're ever going to date each other..._Allen was seriously depressing himself with his own thoughts. It was like a whole 'my boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with me' drama kind of thing girlfriends often did.

"Whatever you say." Fou mumbled suspiciously. "So what kind of movie are we watching?" Fou asked, interested. Lavi did an inner fist pump and grinned.

"Well, I've got many choices! How about a horror movie?" Lavi suggested. Allen took a _large _sidestep away from Lavi and glared at him. Both Fou and Lavi started to laugh. Allen puffed out his cheeks and flushed with embarrassment. Lavi just pointed at him. "He's doing that one thing again!" Allen growled very low in his throat, directing it towards Lavi. Lavi walked over and patted his head. "You look like a pissed off kitten when you do that." Allen was glaring up at Lavi hand. He was tempted to sink his teeth in it just because Lavi called him a kitten.

Allen wasn't a kitten.

_I could probably kick his arse if I wanted to. _Allen thought bitterly. Lavi had his fun and walked over to the cabinet and started pulling out random movies. Allen huffed and sat on the far left of the long couch while Lavi and Fou picked out a movie. Lavi knew Allen was terrified of Halloween, that just made horror movies all the more worse. But Allen was too nice and didn't want to ruin the movie for Lavi and Fou and just dealt with his problem. He really needed to work on that.

"This one looks entertaining." Fou commented, pulling out one of the scariest looking movies Allen had ever seen. _What is she? _Both Lavi and Allen thought in unison. The whole purpose of a scary/horror movie was to _scare _the person, not to entertain them. Just seeing Fou act like that made Lavi and Allen terrified.

"Right." Lavi said slowly, taking the tape out of her hands. "I'll just put it in then-"

"Wait!" Fou interrupted, snatching the tape for him before he could even get it near the mouth of the VCR. Lavi gave her an odd look. "You have to prepare first! You know, to make it more thrilling!" She spoke excitedly.

Yeah, terrified was an understatement for how Allen and Lavi were feeling right now.

"R-right..." Lavi stuttered.

Then again, this could be why Fou was so scary in the first place. She'd be pretty good at Psychology in Lavi opinion. Allen knew for a fact that she knew how to mess with peoples' minds. He didn't want to know how she learned to do that, he just knew she could do it. Allen grabbed a fuzzy white blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around him. He didn't even care who's it was, it was cold and he needed warmth. On the plus side, he could always hide his face in the blanket if he got scared. Fou closed the blinds and turned off all the lights while Lavi walked in with five bags of popcorn. Allen simply wondered how he could make popcorn so fast. It's not like he had a popcorn maker or anything...or did he?

"You didn't have to make _that _much, Lavi. One is enough." Fou stated, staring at him oddly.

"One is enough for each of _us. _But you forget, Allen's got the appetite of an elephant and you need twice as much when watching a scary movie-if you're Allen that is." Lavi added.

"Why?" Fou asked.

"Because he'll probably jump out of his seat and the popcorn will go everywhere." Lavi said smartly.

"Oh, I get it." Fou smirked at Allen, who was glaring at Lavi as he sat down right next to him. Lavi looked over and frowned.

"What? I got you extra popcorn." Allen faltered his glare a bit at Lavi's words and eyed the popcorn mischievously. Lavi laughed and put two of the bags of popcorn on the coffee table in front of them and put one in Allen's hands. Allen didn't hesitate to open the bag and stuff his face. Lavi frowned at him. "Dude, the movie hasn't even started yet..." Lavi mumbled. Allen's glare returned and Lavi held his hands up defensively. "Not that it isn't a problem or anything..." Allen continued eating his popcorn happily.

He wasn't happy for long.

Fou watched with mild amusement from recliner as Allen jumped every time something popped up in his face. He once headbutted Lavi from jumping up. The weird thing was though...Allen didn't spill _any _of his popcorn. No matter how many times he flinched, winced, jumped, or shouted...Allen just _didn't _spill his popcorn. It was so weird. At one point though, Allen hid his face in Lavi's chest and blushed at his actions. Lavi had a faint blush on his face too. Fou thought it was definitely cute and snapped a picture of it. She smirked to herself and turned around to watch the movie some more. Allen was _shivering _from fright. Lavi felt a little sorry for him and rubbed his back comfortingly.

Once the movie was over, Fou turned around and _marveled _at the sight. Allen had fallen asleep on Lavi's chest, and Lavi's head was leaning against Allen's as he snoozed on. Fou took out her trusty phone and snapped a picture. No one would ever know how she managed to get such detailed pictures on her phone. Then again, her boyfriend was a scientist and probably modified it for her...not that anyone would ever know that. She sighed and turned back around, wondering whether she should wake them up or not.

Then she remembered the hot tub.

"Hey, hey guys, get up." She muttered. She looked at her lap and grinned.

Fou grabbed a piece of popcorn and threw it at them. It hit Allen's nose. His nose scrunched, smelling the scent of popcorn. Fou thought it would be a lot harder to wake them up and that she would have to continuously throw popcorn at them...Allen proved her wrong and opened his eyes slowly. He blinked when he saw Fou making a little heart gesture at him. Allen gave her a puzzled look and Fou snickered when she saw Allen look up slowly and blush. Allen glared at her, puffing out his cheeks. She giggled some more and watched as Allen poked at Lavi's cheek. Allen poked again...and again...and again...and again...then he saw Lavi's mouth hanging open. He took a handful of his popcorn and shoved it into Lavi's mouth. Fou filled the room with laughter once Lavi was startled awake.

"Huh, was' goin' on?" Lavi asked with a mouth full of popcorn. Allen couldn't help but giggle a little when Lavi actually started chewing the popcorn. Lavi looked down at the source of giggles and saw Allen. He blushed and scooted away from the younger boy awkwardly. He glared at Fou, who was laughing like a hyena off The Lion King. "What did you do that for?!" Lavi asked loudly. Allen chuckled.

"You wouldn't wake up." Allen reasoned.

"Did you even _try _to wake me up?" Lavi asked. Allen nodded his head.

"Yeah, I poked you like five times." Allen answered. Lavi stared at Allen curiously.

"You poked me?" He asked.

"I poked you." Allen confirmed. Lavi shook his head and laughed.

"Yeah, okay. So Fou, what do you want to do now?" Lavi asked bitterly.

"Well, since we don't have work tomorrow, why don't we have a little party and get drunk?" Fou asked nonchalantly. Allen's eyes widened in shock from how casually she could just say that.

"Sounds legit, how about you?" Lavi asked, directing his question towards Allen. Allen scooted into the arm of the couch as much as possible.

"Um, no thank you." Allen replied.

"Oh come on, I'll call up Lenalee, Yu, and even Narain if you want. Hell, I'll invite Neah so we'll have some 'adult supervision.'" Lavi persuaded, using his fingers to put an air quote around adult supervision. Allen gave Lavi the most bizarre look.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought we _were _adults..." Allen muttered. Lavi deadpanned and scratched his chin.

"Oh yeah..." He mumbled quietly to himself. Both Allen and Fou face palmed. "Well let's do it to celebrate then!" Lavi smiled.

"Celebrate what exactly?" Allen asked and Lavi's smile dropped completely off his face.

"Um...hmm...hey, Fou, what's today's date?" Lavi asked, knowing that she'd have her phone on her. Fou didn't even look at her phone.

"Well, let's see, your party is about 3 weeks and 5 days from now, October 31st, so I'd say it's the 5th, why?" Fou asked. Allen looked at her in wonder.

"Whoa, how'd you calculate all of that so fast?!" Allen asked. Lavi and Fou both gave him a weird look. Fou just tapped her brain.

"My brain is a calculator." She replied sarcastically. Lavi laughed and Allen glared at her, knowing that she was making fun of his intelligence. "See Allen, alcohol doesn't make you stupid!" Fou tried reasoning. "Plus, it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, right Lavi?" Fou looked at him. Lavi nodded, not attempting to try and get her angry by denying what she said. Then, Lavi's face lit up.

"I know!" Lavi suddenly exclaimed. Both Fou and Allen stared at him, curious about his sudden outburst. "I know _exactly _what to celebrate!" Lavi said victoriously.

"What's that?" Both Allen and Fou asked together.

"The day Allen became our neighbor! It was the day just before Yu's birthday, and his birthday is June 6th. It's been five months since the four of us met each other...again...so I think that's something to celebrate!" Lavi said, grinning. He remembered how Allen didn't like him at first and felt joyful now that he was Allen's friend. Fou shrugged, just wanting an excuse to get drunk. She would probably invite Bak over too.

"I don't think that's really something to celebrate." Allen added honestly. Lavi gasped in horror.

"Are you saying that us meeting isn't a big thing to celebrate?! I feel so hurt...hey, you can celebrate that you left Cross' house five months ago." Lavi suggested, shrugging. Allen blinked. He didn't even realize how long it had been since he left Cross' house to live on his own. He had officially been living on his own for five months.

Okay, so maybe this did up his mood a little bit more.

"...well." Allen said slowly. Lavi and Fou rejoiced.

"Yay! Okay! I'm gonna call up Yu and Lenalee. Fou, you...um...go do something. Like start the hot tub or get the drinks or whatever. And Allen...sit there." Lavi instructed. Allen shrugged, he didn't mind if he didn't have to do anything. Fou got up and walked into the kitchen, looking for the alcohol Lavi had mentioned. She found some beer cans in the fridge and then looked around for any other type of drink. Fou tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. _Is that...? _

"Yo, Lavi!" Fou called from the kitchen. Lavi had just hung up the phone with Lenalee a second ago. As it turned out, they went to the grocery store to get more groceries. Kanda went with her because last time they didn't get him Soba...which he _specifically _asked for. Lavi walked into the kitchen and saw Fou holding up a bottle of whiskey. Lavi held up one finger before she could even ask. It'd be bad if she mistaken it for his.

"That is not mine." Lavi explained quickly. "That's Kanda's. He likes whiskey and won't drink anything else. He actually tipped some into my punch...and that's how he found out that I don't exactly remember everything after I drink it. I don't think he's ever going to try and spike it ever again." Lavi said slowly as he shook his head. Fou's eyes widened and she placed the whiskey on the counter for Kanda. She also got out plastic cups for everyone and filled them up-not all with whiskey, that'd be disastrous...and then she spilled it. She looked both ways to make sure no one had seen and wiped it up. Then she looked at the cups and panicked.

"Oopsie..." She smirked a bit. She put all the cups on a tray and carried into the living room just as Lenalee and Kanda walked in. She panicked whenever she saw Lavi pick up the cup with whiskey in it. _Shoot! _"Lavi! Hey, I need to talk to you about something, lemme take that." Fou took the cup out of Lavi's hands and put it in Allen's. Allen scowled at the drink. _Hopefully he doesn't drink it..._Fou thought. She dragged Lavi into the kitchen.

"What did you want to talk about?" Lavi asked. _Shoot! Um...um..._

"I don't know how to work the hot tub!" Fou replied. She really didn't, even though she didn't even see the hot tub yet.

"Oh, well that's easy, follow me." Lavi instructed and they walked outside. Fou sent a cautious look back into the living room to see Allen glaring at the cup. Kanda seemed to drink his up and Lenalee looked a bit suspicious and looked around as if someone was watching her. When she seemed satisfied that it was only them there, she took a sip. Lavi sent a text message to someone and walked over to the hot tub. He showed Fou how to turn it on and returned inside. He sat beside Allen and grabbed a drink. He looked at Allen and snorted when he saw the boy glaring at it. "Glaring at it won't make it disappear, Allen. You gotta drink it."

"I don't wanna. Bad things happen when I drink." Allen muttered.

"Come on, Allen, it's not that bad. You'll feel great, you just won't feel so great waking up tomorrow, but we have pain medication for that." Lavi said, winking. Allen sighed and took a sip. He knew he drank beer before...but this just tasted...like fire down his throat. Did it always taste this way? Allen shrugged and drank it anyways, even though he didn't really enjoy it all that much. They all sat down to let the hot tub warm up and just chatted about nothing in particular. Allen had only drank about half a cup before he started feeling really weird. He didn't feel like himself either. Allen shook his head and frowned, placing the cup down.

"Thas' weird..." Allen mumbled. Lavi looked down at the puzzled, drunk Allen.

"Haven't you drank more than that before? How are you already drunk?" Lavi took Allen's cup and sniffed it. "Just what's in your beer, man?" Lavi sipped it and coughed. "What the hell?! Who spiked your drink?" Lavi looked directly at Fou. Fou laughed nervously.

"I wasn't really trying to...it was an accident...and I couldn't give it to you...and Lenalee's brother would kill me...and Kanda doesn't like beer...and I don't like whiskey...and I had no other person to give it to!" Fou explained frantically.

"So you gave it to Allen?!" Lavi asked incredulously.

"Well I don't know what he thinks about whiskey..." Fou reasoned. Allen mumbled something, and Lavi blushed. Allen then laid on Lavi's chest and snuggled. Lavi opened his mouth but closed it. He was so speechless at the moment. "What did he say?" Fou asked curiously. Lavi doesn't just blush so easily.

"N-nothing...don't worry about it." Lavi muttered and rubbed Allen's back comfortingly. Now Fou _really _wanted to know what Allen said. Allen mumbled something else and Lavi nodded. "In a minute, Allen." Fou raised her eyebrows.

"So what's he saying? What kinda drunk is he on whiskey?" Fou asked.

"I think he's pretty honest if I do say so myself. That, or he's a bit too flirty." Lavi replied. Fou's eyes widened and she quickly walked over to them.

"What did he say, what did he say?!" Fou asked, eager to hear what made Lavi blush.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Lavi muttered. "We should get in the hot tub, yeah?" Lavi suggested. Lenalee cheered.

"Yeah! Oh, I'm so excited, my brother just got me this new swimsuit and I've been dying to try it out!" Lenalee said excitedly. Allen grumbled something no one heard and they all sent him a worried look. After everyone was dressed and in the hot tub, Allen wasn't in such a good mood anymore. They all soaked into a hot tub and Allen could just tell Lavi was flirting with Lenalee. He didn't like it.

At all.

Kanda too noticed this. He thought Lavi was an idiot. This was why Allen also didn't want to date Lavi. Lavi loved girls and he was a guy. Even if they went out, he knew Lavi would continue looking at girls. Lavi was so lucky that Komui wasn't here, or he would've killed him with those...needles...Allen shuddered at the thought of the needles. He had to sit next to Kanda in the tub. It wasn't that he didn't like Kanda, he just really didn't like his attitude. He could understand his good points and why him and Lavi were friends...but he didn't know the man all to well and he had a feeling that Kanda didn't like him for some reason. Or maybe he just didn't think they'd get along. Allen sighed and blew bubbles into the hot tub.

"What's wrong with you, Moyashi?" Kanda muttered, already knowing the answer to that question. Allen didn't reply. Kanda growled and figured that he would do the kid a favor. Hey, the kid bought him a one hundred dollar sword, and Kanda didn't want to be indebted to him. So Kanda grabbed Allen's waist and pulled him close. Hopefully, his plan wouldn't backfire. Lavi would definitely get jealous. He _had _to get jealous.

And so Lavi did.

Lavi stopped talking to Lenalee and looked over with wide eyes. Fou giggled into the water and Lenalee also looked over. Allen didn't even seem to care right now. He really just wanted someone to hold him right now. He didn't know why, but he just felt like he _needed _some attention. So he did what any drunk on whiskey Allen would do. He cuddled with him. And not many people got the chance to cuddle with Kanda. But Allen bought him a _sword. _And Kanda _loved _swords. So he let Allen do what he wanted.

"OoOoOoh." Fou sang. _Something's gonna happen. _She thought evilly. _It's not like Lavi and I are going out anyways...and Kanda is attractive-other than the fact he looks a little bit like a girl..._then Allen's thoughts paused when he saw the look of envy on Lenalee's face. _Is she jealous? I wonder why..._Allen wondered dumbly.

Lenalee was pissed.

She had spent more time with Kanda than anyone and could never get him to open up. Allen stays here for about five months and Kanda's _cuddling _with him. It just upset Lenalee a lot that Kanda trusted Allen more than he trusted her. What was the deal with that? Lenalee just got even angrier just thinking about it. She tried not to glare, she really did. She knew Allen was just drunk and wouldn't do that if he was sober, but she just felt angry. Lavi trusted her more than Allen though, she knew that. But Kanda? She'd expect more from him.

Meanwhile, Kanda and Lavi were having a mental stare down with each other. Kanda didn't really give a crap that Lavi was jealous. He really just wanted them to stop being stubborn and date already. It made everything so stressful that they weren't together. They were just building up a tense atmosphere. Lavi and his womanizing problems just made everything all the more worse. Allen stared between Kanda and Lavi and chuckled under his breath. Kanda broke away from the staring contest and looked down at Allen's content smile. He dropped Allen, hoping that Lavi would catch him...

He didn't.

And then Allen wasn't coming back up so Fou had to reach under and get him. Kanda didn't care that he dropped him. But he did care that Lavi didn't catch him. What was the whole stare down for if he wasn't going to help Allen? It was a wasted effort and Lavi was being a total douche right now, not breaking eye contact with Kanda...even though Kanda wasn't giving any eye contact to Lavi. He was more focused on Allen, who seemed to be coughing up water. That was when Lenalee realized what was going on. It wasn't that Kanda trusted Allen, he was just attempting to help. Lenalee then glared at Lavi. Lavi broke his stare with Kanda and looked at Lenalee with a confused look on his face. Lenalee glanced at Allen, then at Lavi, then at Allen again. Lavi caught her gesture and looked over.

Fou was holding him in her arms, patting his back with a frown on her face. She looked to be whispering things in his ear as he panted from the hot steam. He felt really unloved by Lavi at the moment. He couldn't believe that Lavi would just let him drown like that. While drunk on whiskey, it seemed to Allen that he could only focus everything that was going on, on Lavi. He didn't know why, and he didn't care to know why, he just knew. Allen felt like Lavi lied to him. Lavi told him that if he got drunk, he would feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Allen wasn't feeling all warm and fuzzy.

* * *

**Content with the chapter? Yeah, I had to make myself some popcorn while writing this because of the movie scene xD. Does anyone else hate it when there's kernels at the bottom? I do, that's just wasteful! Popcorn reminds me of the time my ****_older _****sister caught a bag of mini popcorn on fire in the microwave. Her excuse was: The bag said five minutes! Now I would ****_love _****to see where she saw that. One, it was a ****_mini _****bag and two, ****_no one _****puts popcorn in for five minutes unless their microwave is that old! Yeah, she took the bag out (once it stopped flaming) and we ran outside in our bare feet (WHILE IT WAS SNOWING!) and she dumped the popcorn out on the snow...it all stuck together and was black. Then my mom came back and stepped in the kitchen. She came back with her nose all scrunched up and was like: Did you guys burn something in here? I didn't hesitate to point at my sister. She looked so betrayed. Dude, I could probably write an entire fanfiction of all the crazy things that's happened in my life, like the time my dog interrupted our game of hide and seek tag in the dark and bit my dad's butt for chasing after my little brother. -chuckle- Ah, good times, good times. Anyways...wow, so long...thank you to the 38 voters that voted for the poll; and fullmetal96100, NoName-chan, Lyokni, bookspazz55, myangelicladyofdarkness, MintGreenn, ankhesenamun2, Snipperita, Clueless4You, WouldBeExorcist, Nami Heartfilia, xxFall3n-Ang3lxx, Shirubagure, the3leonine, midnightstardust, Katie2000, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, and the guests for reviewing!**


	35. Chapter 35

**They're so addicting! AGH! ****_What are we talking about here? _****-Inner self that usually hates me. Okay, so you guys know the Lick icons on deviantART? Well I'm officially ****_obsessed _****with making them. I made like seven of them. I love my polar bear one, it's so cute :3 Right, and a reason (such a petty reason) I didn't update my Laven is because my sister brought her Xbox 360 over. Mine got stolen so I ****_had _****to play on hers. ****_No you didn't, you just wanted to play Fable. Lazy bum. _****-Inner self. x( Speaking of my sister, ****_she ate all my strawberries! D: _****My dad gives me a box of strawberries and a container of chocolate icing to melt (you guys should know this already xD) so I can have my chocolate covered strawberries AND SHE ATE THEM ALL! D: Grrr...oh! I got my costume by the way! I'm going to be an 'Unhappily Ever After Rag Doll' if any of you know what that is. I'll probably post it on deviantART the day of Halloween (or the day I dress up for reals). If you don't know my username for dA (it's on my profile o.O) it's ElviraRayne (Never saw that coming, did you? xD Inner self: (-/)-) *face palm*) Ugh, I feel so lonely on Fiesta (mmorpg I mentioned before). No one wants to be my questing buddy...freaking creepy trees and their creepy faces...but...****_oh my god someone PM'd me/asked me to PM them I'm so happy! _****Yeah, I'm a total loner. I guess I'll stop the AN right here and actually ****_write _****the story instead of the Author's note now...**

* * *

"Mm..." Allen hummed as he snuggled into Fou's side in the hot tub. He didn't feel like he was going to drown anymore, so he figured he should just cuddle and feel loved.

Allen was an attention hog when he was drunk...on whiskey.

Fou giggled and petted Allen's hair, causing him to snuggle even more than he already was with her. This caused Lavi to be jealous of Fou again. Kanda was mentally slicing Lavi up for the failure of his plan. He thought it out so well too. _Stupid rabbit..._Kanda thought viciously, glaring at said red head. Lenalee just sat there awkwardly, wondering if she should leave or not before her brother popped out of nowhere and tried to kill everyone with needles for seeing her in her new revealing swimsuit. She didn't know if he texted her or not-and if he did, he would most likely rush his way over here since Lenalee hadn't replied to it.

"You're so adorable, Allen." Fou cooed and giggled afterwards.

"Mm mm." Allen hummed 'nu uh'.

"Mhmm." Fou hummed back.

"Whadeva you say." Allen mumbled and laid against her chest as he sat on her lap. Fou would've thought that he would've been too heavy to be able to do this, but she was definitely wrong. He had to weigh under a hundred pounds or something. Lavi growled in the back of his throat. Lenalee shrugged and hopped out of the tub, grabbing a towel off the fence and going inside. Kanda scooted next to the jealous bunny.

"If you're so jealous, why don't you just take him away?" Kanda asked bitterly. Lavi whirled to his left suddenly and gave Kanda a bizarre look.

"Me? Jealous? You've got to be joking." Lavi laughed. Kanda rolled his eyes grudgingly and left the hot tub as well. Fou had been so focused on poking Allen's body to find his tickle spots, she didn't notice everyone was leaving the hot tub. She looked up just as she poked Allen's side. Allen giggled and wriggled beneath her as she looked around for any signs of the Japanese boy and the Chinese girl. She didn't find them and her eyes wandered over to Lavi, who instantly looked away once their eyes met. _Oh ho ho, did I just see a bit of jealousy in his eyes? _Fou thought, smirking evilly. Lavi pretended not to notice her staring; and Fou didn't notice her finger still on Allen's tickle spot.

"Fou, stop...that tickle..." Allen muttered, trying to remove himself from her lap. Fou blinked and looked down at the adorable white haired teenager. She smiled and removed Allen from her lap so she could scoot over next to Lavi.

Allen needed some fresh air so he turned around and faced the open air to breathe. He was humming in delight as he did so. No one noticed the figure that stepped out on the patio and walk over to Allen. Allen only noticed when the figure was right in front of his eyes. He giggled and waved. The person stared at him in shock and horror when he smelled the whiskey on Allen's breath...and then he let out a very manly squeal. Fou and Lavi's head snapped over instantly to see a freaking-out Neah.

"No! What is this nonsense! Why is Allen drunk?! WHO DID THIS?!" Neah asked in a demanding tone and glared at Fou and Lavi, who both started to pale.

"Uh..." They both answered intelligently. Neah didn't think twice about hopping in the tub, fully-clothed, to Allen's side.

"Who did this to you, Alle-...Allen? What...are you...doing?" Neah asked slowly when Allen started cuddling with his uncle. Both Fou and Lavi face palmed, thought Lavi felt just a tiny bit of jealousy come back. He wasn't as jealous with Neah as Fou and Kanda because Neah was actually related to Allen..._but they're not blood related. _Lavi thought possessively.

"He gets all snuggly when he's drunk...on whiskey? Or maybe he's just like that in general when he get's drunk...don't ask me, I wouldn't know..." Fou said nervously.

"Gud mornin', uncle." Allen mumbled into Neah's chest.

"Allen. It is evening." Neah stated blankly.

"Gud evenin', uncle." Allen rephrased. Neah awkwardly petted Allen's hair and stared over at Fou and Lavi.

"How did he get drunk? Cross said that it would be least likely for Allen to even take a _sip _of alcohol!" Neah's parental instincts kicked in.

"Calm down, Neah, he's drank before-" Fou started, but she was interrupted by a shout from Neah. Lavi face palmed.

"What!? Si-since when?!" He asked.

"...since Lavi's birthday party?" Fou replied uncertainly. Neah instantly glared at Lavi. Lavi held his hands up protectively.

"Hey, it's his fault, not mine." Lavi quickly stated. He actually didn't know whose fault it was for getting Allen drunk...didn't he get drunk before Lavi's birthday party though? Like when Lavi got drunk on whiskey...Allen drank a little at the bar and was weakened...so it was basically Allen's fault he got drunk in the first place... "...and I don't think he even got drunk at my party...he did get drunk before that though, I think..." Lavi mumbled the last part. After hearing Lavi's excuses, Neah hugged Allen tightly...not that Allen really minded. In fact, he accepted the hug as permission to keep snuggling.

"Oh, my poor nephew, what have they done to your innocent little body...?" He murmured. Both Fou and Lavi's jaws dropped. _Okay, he didn't have to say it like THAT! _Fou thought. It made them sound like they had molested him...which they actually kinda had...but that wasn't the point! He released Allen from his snuggle-hug and looked the boy seriously in his glazed eyes. "Nobody has kissed you, right?!" Neah asked frantically. Fou and Lavi were shaking their heads at Allen, begging him not to give them away. Allen didn't see the shaking...and he probably wouldn't even understand them at the moment...so Allen nodded his head a little. Neah gasped. "Who kissed you?!" He asked quickly. Allen tilted his head to the side and looked over at Fou and Lavi. He then pointed at them.

"...them." He said softly. Neah gasped dramatically.

"Both of them!? Why would...when?!"

"Mm...um...can't 'member." Allen mumbled. "Fou kiss me once...Lavi kiss me...um...a lot...yes." Allen informed drunkenly with a small blush on his face. He still had a little bit of his conscience. Neah slowly looked over at them and gave them the evil eye-mostly to Lavi.

"Why has Lavi kissed you a lot, Allen?" He asked the drunk teenager, still glaring at the two perpetrators.

"Um...I dunno..." Allen replied. This made Fou's mind perk up. Does this mean that besides the dares, Lavi had _still _been kissing Allen? She instantly looked over at Lavi with an examining look on her face. For what reason would Lavi be kissing Allen? If it had been a dare, Allen would have said so. But he didn't say that...so then what? Neah also saw the curiosity in Fou's eyes and Lavi panicked. He knew what Neah would ask next...

"Allen...when was the last time Lavi kissed you?" Neah asked. _Please stop being so honest, Allen! _Lavi begged. Allen's brain suddenly blanked out and Allen held it with his hands as he strained it to think.

"Um...I dun...know...um...uh..." Allen rubbed circles on his temples while Lavi was thanking the lord Allen forgot. They had actually just kissed that morning. Lavi didn't at all feel hurt that Allen forgot. For one, Allen was drunk, for two, it practically saved his life just then. "Oh um...today, yes." Allen replied. _SHIT! _Lavi smacked his forehead. He totally jinxed himself. Allen noticed this and his eyes widened. "I wasn't suppose' to tell you that." _Too late now, genius! _Lavi thought, terrified of Neah's reaction. Neah slowly looked over at Lavi.

"Why did you-" Neah started, but a high pitched scream interrupted them from inside. Lavi didn't think anything...he didn't want to end up jinxing himself again.

"That was Lenalee! Gotta go!" Lavi said and, as quickly as he could, he jumped out of the hot tub and ran inside to see what was going on...but mostly to escape both Fou and Neah's questions. "...Lenalee?" Lavi asked quietly as he entered the oddly quiet house. He walked out into the kitchen when a ghost-looking skeleton hung down in his face. Lavi let out a shout and jumped back. "What the hell?!" He yelled. Lavi looked past the skeleton at Kanda, who snorted. Lavi pointed at the scary decoration with a puzzled look on his face.

"I was trying to scare the beansprout." He explained dully. Lavi sighed.

"You really shouldn't do that." He said, trying to be the good guy for once. When it came to pranks, Lavi was _never _the good guy. Kanda knew this and rose an eyebrow at his uncommon good-guy mood.

"Why not? It's fun scaring the piss out of people. Why are you defending him anyways? Oh yeah, I forgot, you love him." Kanda stated casually.

"I do not!" Lavi defended. Both Lenalee, who had just now recovered, and Kanda raised their eyebrows at his suddenly-defensive nature. "_Why _are you looking at me like that!?" He asked incredulously. Both Kanda and Lenalee looked away.

"No reason." They muttered. Lavi huffed a large sigh.

"Sure." Lavi replied and stood there for a minute. He didn't want to go back outside because then he would be questioned by Neah and Fou, but he didn't want to stand in the kitchen freezing his butt off either.

"Aren't you going to go back outside?" Lenalee asked.

"Nope." Lavi replied shortly.

"Why not?" Kanda grumbled.

"Because." Lavi replied...and then grinned. Kanda growled.

"Because why?" He asked.

"Because." After Lavi replied with that same answer, Kanda let out a shout of annoyance and stomped over to the couch and plopped on it whilst he crossed his arms.

"Che, whatever..."

"But seriously, Lavi, why don't you want to go back outside? Is Fou antagonizing you?" She asked.

"...well...Neah's out there...and Allen told him that Fou and I both kissed him...and now Neah's freaking out like mad." Lavi explained in small pieces.

"Oh, I get it, you don't want Neah to catch on that you love Allen." Lenalee said simply.

"What? No! Why do you and Yu keep saying that? I don't love Allen! I don't like him either, so quit saying that I do!" Lavi denied. Lenalee rolled her eyes but said nothing.

This infuriated Lavi.

They all knew he was a womanizer and he was only bi for certain people...like Tyki for example. He dated Tyki a long time ago, but only because he was attractive. Lavi wasn't saying that Allen wasn't attractive, but he wasn't exactly saying he was either. For Lavi's bi-ness, it mostly leaned over to the girl side, rather than the boys. Why couldn't anyone get that? Was Lavi acting a certain way to make everyone think he was gay or something? Lavi huffed and crossed his arms. He was so focused in his thinking, he didn't notice himself being dragged out the back yard and being thrown into the hot tub. Lavi swiftly swam up an inhaled a breath of air. Who was the idiot trying to drown him in a hot tub?! Lavi looked around and spotted Fou. He didn't see Neah at all though...that was a relief.

Lavi was relieved...until he felt a presence snaking themselves upon him and clinging to his arm.

Lavi, from his whole denying act before, instantly pushed whoever clung onto his arm, roughly off of him. Fou's eyes widened and Lavi looked over to see who was trying to hang onto him. He was greeted with gray eyes that had such hurt to them, like a kicked puppy. Lavi regretted his actions and immediately took Allen into his arms by habit. Allen still was a little confused, but he hugged Lavi back, only because he was intoxicated. If Allen wasn't intoxicated and that had happened...he would probably never be able to face Lavi again. Fou sighed with relief while she held her hand where her heart should be. She smiled and took out her trusty phone (_where did it come from?!) _and snapped a picture.

One would probably wonder what she did with all those pictures she took of them.

Fou really wanted to ask Lavi about the whole kiss thing, but she didn't want to interrupt their whole moment...because it could lead to more if she didn't say anything and magically 'disappeared'...or went 'invisible'...that's good too. As long as she got to see what would happen next, she could feel giddy. So, Fou did what she normally would do, and morphed into the shadows. Lavi only noticed that she had disappeared. He didn't know where she had run off to, but hopefully she wasn't around for the next occurrence. The next thing that happened...Lavi _really _didn't expect. He could remember all the times that he would start a kiss...but he couldn't remember any time Allen had actually kissed him.

Yet...Allen had forcefully pressed his lips against Lavi's so boldly.

Lavi _really _didn't expect that. Allen had always been either too shy, or not interested enough to actually be the first to kiss Lavi. Lavi knew that Allen felt some sort of emotion that was more than just friendship to him...but he didn't expect him to go through with his feelings. Allen personally didn't want to take chances and try anything and risk their friendship, so he didn't make any moves on Lavi.

...but drunk Allen seemed a bit too honest with his feelings.

Fou herself watched with wide eyes at Allen's brave actions. She thought it was hot, but she didn't think that Allen would actually do that. Allen was so...innocent, and it just didn't seem like he would actually...be the one to kiss on purpose. Yet here he was kissing Lavi...and Lavi was kissing back. _I knew it! There has to be some kind of thing other than friendship Lavi feels for Allen! They have to love each other, I just know it! If this isn't proof enough, I don't know what is! Lavi can't deny his feelings for Allen now, he just can't. Lavi wouldn't just play around with Allen's feelings! This. Has. To. Mean. Something. _Fou thought. She didn't want to ruin the moment again...but she _did _feel in an 'I-told-ya-so' mood and she _did _want to just jump out and say something along the lines of: "I knew it, you really do love Allen!" But that might not work out too well because then Lavi would deny it right in front of Allen's face and come up with some stupid excuse.

So what was she supposed to do?

Take a picture of course! _That way when I show it to him, then I can say "I told ya so!" _Fou thought excitedly. _And hopefully Allen won't be around if he tries to deny it or blame it on him. I will get Lavi to say he loves Allen whether he wants to or not! _Fou had her one track mind, and it was going to go one way until it met it's destination. And it _will _meet it's destination. It always has and it always will. She would make sure of it. So, after all her little thoughts, she took out her trusty and really convenient phone, and was about to take a picture when something else happened...

Allen advanced further.

Fou felt a bit awkward at what happened next. She liked it, she really did, but she felt like a Peeping Tom whenever she saw Allen's hands roam around Lavi's chest and then encircle around his neck...and then Lavi repeated Allen's actions, but his hands winded up below Allen's waist. Keyword here: _below. _Fou just couldn't take her eyes off the scene, making her feel all the more like a peeper. She just watched and couldn't bring herself to actually take a picture of what was happening. She didn't know how _fast _Lavi and Allen's unknown relationship was advancing...she just knew it was advancing. But for it to actually go so far...she really hoped that Allen knew what he was doing, despite being drunk.

At least Lavi wasn't drunk on what Allen was, that would've been a disaster.

_I wonder if I should spike Allen's drink with whiskey at Lavi's Halloween party..._Fou thought to herself. If they were publicly known, that could make their...whatever they had, advance even faster. Then again...Lavi denied loving Allen several times...so what if he really was just playing around with Allen and Allen took it seriously? Then their whole entire relationship, even as friends, would be deadbeat. _I'm just over-thinking this! _Fou thought as she watched them with a blank expression. She wasn't really watching them, but thinking. She couldn't even tell that she was watching them until she heard one of them moan. To this, all three of the people outside blushed. Fou sure was glad Neah was there to hear this...better yet, she was glad Neah wasn't here to _see _this. He would definitely flip his shit.

After a long make out session, Lavi and Allen left the hot tub into the house. Fou didn't know what they were doing in there, she just knew that she was just standing there, shell-shocked about what had just happened. _Did that really just happen? Am I just seeing things? _Fou wondered and she stood there. She looked down at her phone and cursed herself. Out of all that just happened, all of those kisses and gestures she just saw...out of so many really good pictures she could've taken and even made an entire scrapbook out of...

She didn't take _one._

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**Ending it here. And yes, I am updating this at 2 in the morning. I was actually trying to get it to 1 in the morning, but YouTube and a fellow reader (YES A PM I'M SO HAPPY! :D -loner) got me distracted ^^' Hey, at least it's posted, right? And you guys got fan-service too! So be happy. Yeah, that's what I thought. YAY! Now I can go read some SIH (Sekaiichi Hatsukoi)! :D I love that manga...I'm not sure whether I like SIH or JR (Junjou Romantica) better...they're by the same author...but I just can't decide...what do you guys think? (If you haven't read it and you're innocent, don't read it. If you haven't read it and you're not innocent (what a way to word it xD), read it.) But oh yeah! Two more voters for the poll! That sums up to 40 voters total! Thanks to you all who voted and I can't forget my reviewers! :D Thank you Snipperita, ankhesenamun2, roseahal, Lyokni (:3), Katie2000, Shirubagure, MintGreenn, NoName-chan (*insert winky-face here*), bookspazz55, smileysparklea, Purple Power 22, the3leonine, fullmetal96100, CsillaDream, Kinue, Toph Hitsugaya, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, Guest 23, VeridianSoul, and the guest for reviewing. Btw, I'm still pming people (if you couldn't tell). Just put a PM somewhere in your review and I'll pm you. I'm still taking suggestions too! Oh and don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL -trademarking this. This is mine now xD jkjk**


	36. Chapter 36

**No, I did not drop off the face of the earth! Okay, I can explain. -soaks torches in water- Okay, so I was writing this chapter...and then...well...I moved my mouse and it hit a cord or the power button and completely shut the computer down. I was also writing on the Doc Manager and ****_nothing _****was saved. So I got so mad and just neglected my motivation to this story and waited until I could calm down to write this. I feel a little better now so I'm going to write it now. Again, I do apologize for not updating. I was just so angry that day. There was something else that angered me but I forgot what it was so that could be why my motivation came back! ;3 Dude! My sister got two new dogs! :D She got a Chihuahua named Bowser and a black Pomeranian named Emma...her other Pomeranian died :L It kinda ate some...uh...stuff...xD...and then it jumped out the second floor window and walked along the highway. He didn't get hit but he died of overdose and...jumping out the window I guess...anyways, I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter! **

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Fou stood there for a few minutes before she shivered and grabbed a towel that was hanging on a clothesline. She dried herself off quickly and slipped on a jacket. She then walked over to the hot tub and turned it off with only slight difficulty. She grabbed Allen's shirt from a nearby bench and headed towards the back door. It was a good thing Allen hadn't put his shirt on the floor, otherwise it would've been soaked. _I wonder how they're getting along right now..._Fou thought as she opened up the back door and slipped inside the house.

When Fou finally went inside, she paused for a minute. It was a bit _too_ quiet. She somewhat cautiously opened the fridge and pulled out a can of beer. She took a sip and stepped into the living room. She didn't get very far before a random ghostly skull thing landed right in her face and started cackling. She jumped and splashed the can in its face. The cackling died down to croaks and a loud curse was heard from in the living room. Fou looked past the..._thing_ and saw Kanda glaring at her. She rose an eyebrow. What was he supposed to expect, scaring her like that? She'd like to see how he felt if someone did that to him.

"Um, oops? Its your fault for putting it there. It's still useful...it just won't laugh." She explained, shrugging the whole thing off. Kanda growled and sat back on the couch next to Lenalee, who patted Kanda's shoulder. Fou looked around and didn't see who she was looking for. "Where's Lavi?" She asked for said person she was looking for.

"Why?" Kanda asked-grumbled.

"I need to talk to him about somethin..." She mumbled back.

"Lavi and Allen went to bed." Lenalee answered, giggling afterwards. "Allen was tired and wouldn't let go of Lavi so they went to his room." She added. Fou rose her eyebrows and Lenalee just winked. Fou shrugged and headed towards Lavi's room. Maybe this time she'll be able to get a picture. She neared the door and heard hushed voices on the other side.

"Lavi~." Allen whined, tugging on the back of Lavi's shirt, attempting to get his attention. Lavi had been trying to avoid Allen so that he didn't do something he would definitely regret, but Allen was just begging for too much attention. So Lavi decided that ignoring him completely...that was a really bad idea, because Allen was sensitive right now. He was extremely vulnerable and Lavi was starting to hurt his feelings.

You can't just hurt Allen's feelings...especially when he's drunk.

"No, Allen, go to sleep." Lavi snapped. Allen pouted and looked around. _Give him something will ya? He's probably freezing his ass off!_ Fou thought.

"But I'm c-" Allen started.

"Goodnight, Allen." Lavi interrupted. Fou frowned and watched as Allen sighed and looked around for some type of warmth. He didn't find anything so he stood up and walked over to the door. Fou fled into the bathroom, which was right across from Lavi's room.

"...sorry..." Allen mumbled to Lavi and left the room. _Jeez, even when he's drunk he feels like he's a burden on everyone...then again, he is more honest when he's drunk...what an odd type of drunk..._Fou thought as she bit her lip and walked out of the bathroom. Allen looked a bit uncomfortable, which was probably because he was freezing and didn't know what to do at the moment. He definitely needed to leave, but he didn't know if he should just walk out or actually get ready and leave. Poor confused, little Allen. Lavi started to feel _really _bad now. Now he felt like an absolute douche.

"What's up, Short Stack?" Fou greeted. Allen shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm going home." Allen answered and started to walk down the hall and almost into the living room.

"Whoa, hold up, Allen." Fou grabbed Allen's arm and stopped him, quickly yanking him back. Allen gave her a dizzy look.

"Hm?" He grunted.

"You're gonna freeze if you don't dry off properly." She answered and put on his shirt. Allen grumbled something about not being a little kid and she giggled. She started unzipping her jacket and handed it to him.

"Hm? No, keep tha-"

"No, you've got less fat than I do so you need it more. Now take it." Fou said quickly as she draped it around him. It was big on her...but it was _huge_ on Allen. She chuckled. "You make me look fat." Her smile died when she saw the glum look on his face. _He must be feeling really bad about what Lavi just did. He looks so heartbroken...I can't just leave him like this! Lavi and I will have a serious talk tomorrow. _She thought bitterly. _  
_

"...thank you..." He said quietly.

"Hey, thats what friends are for, right?" She smiled sadly at him. That only seemed to depress Allen even more. Allen just nodded in response. "C'mon, lets get you home." She kissed his cheek and hooked arms with him. Her smile widened when she saw a small smile on Allen's face. She escorted him out of the house and across his lawn. She patted his shoulder."You can keep that. Its not girly or anything. Just white, yeah? I'll see you Sunday!" She said and opened the door for him. Allen climbed upstairs and crawled in bed next to Narain. Narain didn't even stir. Allen clutched onto Fou's jacket tightly.

_Hey, that's what friends are for, right?_

The next morning, Narain woke up around eleven. He sat up and stretched and felt a weight beside him. He looked down to see Allen sleeping beside him peacefully. _That's weird, he's usually up early. I wonder..._ Narain grabbed his phone off the desk and checked it. He opened up a message from Fou: **Allen got drunk last night so make sure he gets some pain medication in the morning!** Narain yawned and texted her back sleepily, not even caring what time she sent it at: **Alright. He's still sleeping though.** After stretching, Narain stood up and walked out of the room. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He then opened the medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of Ibuprofen.

After acquiring the right amount of pain medication, Narain poured a glass of tea and headed upstairs. He walked in Allen's room and sat down on Allen's bed. He stood there and stared at Allen for a bit before receiving another text from Fou: **THAT was a late reply -_- Though it is odd that Allen is still sleeping...he usually gets up like what, around nine? **Narain set the cup of tea on the desk and texted back: **Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Should I wake him up and just let him go back to sleep or what?** Narain got an answer from Fou seconds later. He wondered how her phone could be so fast but then remembered that _her boyfriend was a scientist! _Fou replied: **Wake him up and let him go to sleep. He will most likely be upset.** Narain blinked and let his curiosity get the better of him: **Why would he be upset?** The next word Fou sent him made all the much more sense: **Lavi.** _This guy really needs to stop breaking Allen's heart. _Narain thought glumly before shaking Allen awake.

"Allen, Allen, time to wake up now." Narain cooed and shook Allen's shoulder softly. Immediate pain was shown on Allen's face when he opened his eyes. It almost looked like he would've burst into tears. _Just what did he drink?! _Narain wondered shortly. "You can go back to sleep, just take this." Narain said and held the materials out to him. Allen opened his eyes only slightly and took whatever Narain gave him, not even looking at what it was. He gave the rest of the cup back to Narain and rolled over to go to sleep. "Goodnight, Allen." Narain whispered, making it seem like it was still...night. If Allen would've known what time it was, he would've forced himself to get up and Narain personally thought that Allen needed some rest and relaxation.

After Allen had gone to sleep, Narain walked downstairs and sat on the couch, wondering what he should do next. He grabbed a newspaper next to him (_Since when does Allen read the newspaper? Better yet, since when did Allen get newspaper? _Narain wondered shortly) and opened it up to look at the job ads. He flipped around to the medical field and studied the gray paper. He had been wanting to train to be a doctor since he was a little kid. He had his STNA (State Tested Nurse Assistant) License already, so maybe he can use that to get money. He didn't want to be a burden to Allen, so he needed to at least get his own apartment. He couldn't just live with Allen forever, he'd be invading his privacy. He spotted an ad for the hospital and decided to call the number below.

Narain talked on the phone for about an hour and after the long chat, they decided to have him come in for an interview. He accepted their request and hung up. Then, he tapped his foot and wondered _how _he was going to get there. He could just take Allen's car and leave a note...it wouldn't be that long and Allen would probably be in bed for awhile longer...Narain shrugged and picked up a sticky-note notepad off the counter and wrote down a little note saying he borrowed Allen's car and stuck it on the bathroom door, hoping Allen would see it. He scurried out the door, locked it, hid the key under the mat, and jogged over to Allen's car. He hopped inside and drove off to the hospital.

Hopefully, he'd be able to get this job...for Allen.

Narain was excited beyond comparison. He was just on his way back from the hospital and smiling brightly. He got the job, and was just absolutely overjoyed. Allen would be so happy for him. _Speaking of Allen, I wonder if he's waken up yet. It is one o' clock, he should be up then..._Narain thought and turned on their street. He blinked his eyes a couple of times when he saw Lavi rolling on his heels on the front porch, looking ever so nervous. _I wonder if Fou was talking to him today..._Narain thought as he pulled in and hopped out of the car. He jogged over and greeted Lavi with a small wave.

"Good afternoon, Lavi." Narain greeted, he was too happy to be mad at Lavi right now.

"Hello, Narain...what's with the good mood?" Lavi asked, honestly curious.

"Oh, I just got a job is all." Narain said, smiling as he waved Lavi off. Lavi shrugged and watched with observing eyes as Narain pulled the key to the house from under the mat and unlocked the door. He then placed the key back and quickly looked at Lavi, who quickly looked away and pretended that he was really interested in the-

"What the hell!?" Lavi exclaimed suddenly. Narain paused when he twisted the knob to the door and looked at Lavi, who was staring at the roof with mild surprise. Narain looked at the roof as well and tilted his head to the side confusingly.

"Well then...I'm...going inside-" Narain stepped inside and was about to close the door on Lavi when Lavi stopped it with his foot.

"Not trying to intrude or anything, but I need to talk to Allen." Lavi informed as he looked past Narain at Allen, who was sweeping the floor with such vigor Lavi would've thought he was trying to work out. Allen looked up, hearing his name. His stormy gray eyes met with Lavi's one charming green one and they stared at each other for about five seconds before Allen looked away. Lavi bowed his head and Narain put on a blank face.

"Um...this isn't my house; therefore, I cannot decide whether you are allowed in or no-" Narain started but Lavi interrupted him.

"Why is Allen sweeping the floor? It looks clean to me..." Lavi commented.

"Ah yes, he cleans when he's upset or angry or has something on his mind or if he's trying to relieve stress. Just a small fun fact about him." Narain informed. "His house is usually always clean though, so he usually just goes to Cross' house to clean, but I guess he's trying to make his house spotless or something." Narain guessed, shrugging. This conversation made Lavi all the more guilty.

"Right...but I really need to talk to him about something. Just _please _let me in? I know he won't let me in because he's mad at me and I just want to apologize!" Lavi reasoned. Narain seemed a bit iffy, but he was apologizing...and it would make Allen feel better.

"...okay..." Narain confirmed and stepped aside to let Lavi in. He walked in just as Allen was putting the vacuum away in the closet. Lavi walked over towards Allen in a sly way and slid on his right side. Narain sweat dropped whenever Allen didn't even notice Lavi was behind him as Allen started for the stairs. Narain awkwardly closed the door and decided to tell Allen about the news later. He walked over to the couch and plopped down on it.

Meanwhile, upstairs...

Allen was walking casually upstairs and about entered his room when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around quickly and was face to face with Lavi. After letting out a short huff, Allen spun back on his heel and entered his room. He started digging through his drawers to get out some clothes instead of staying in his pajamas all day. He was sure the person he was going out with today wouldn't want him to go out with them in pajamas-especially not in public. Lavi followed Allen in the room, instantly apologizing for what happened last night.

"Allen, I really am sorry!" Lavi explained.

"Do you even know what you're sorry for?" Allen asked as he nonchalantly took off his shirt and started putting on a new one. Lavi was too speechless at the moment to answer. He didn't think that Allen would so openly strip his shirt off in front of him. Allen looked up as he started buttoning his shirt to see Lavi mouthing words. He raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Of course I do! About...last night...when we were going to sleep..." Lavi trailed off. He was so guilty, he couldn't even finish his sentence. Allen started taking off his sweatpants when Lavi shielded Allen's bottom half. "Whoa, hey, don't just do that!"

"Why not? We're both guys, I don't see the problem here." Allen said, still taking off his sweatpants anyways.

"You don't see the...Allen, you're stripping in front of me! You wouldn't have done that four months ago!" Lavi exclaimed.

"Yeah, four months ago. When I hated you. That was different. We're friends, aren't..." Allen stopped talking as he buttoned his pants. Lavi stared at the concentrated look on Allen's face. _Why didn't he complete that sentence...? _Lavi wondered. "Anyways, I don't see any problems at all." Allen said and sat on his bed. He pulled on some socks and unlaced his shoes. Lavi rose an eyebrow.

"Are you going somewhere?" Lavi asked.

"Why does it matter?" Allen asked as he tied his second shoe.

"Because you're my friend and I'm curious." Lavi answered. He narrowed his eyes and gave Allen a suspicious look. "You're not going on a date, are you?" He asked cautiously. Allen didn't even bat an eye at his red headed friend.

"What would it matter to you if I was?" Allen replied and pulled on a jacket. A sudden force sent him hurtling onto the bed. He was surprised to see Lavi on top of him.

"What would it matter?" Lavi repeated. "Of course it matters to me." He said with the most serious look Allen had ever seen the hyperactive adult with. Allen's heartbeat suddenly sped up. He challenged Lavi with his next comment.

"I wouldn't see _why _it would matter to you. We're just friends. It's not like we're going out or anything so it doesn't-mmph!" Allen was silenced with Lavi's lips. _No, no, don't get swept away, you're angry at him right now! Remember about what he did to you last night! He was an arse! Don't fall for his tricks! He doesn't love you! _That last thought hit Allen hard and Allen shoved Lavi away by instinct. He held his clothed sleeve over his mouth and glared at Lavi. "What do you think you're doing? I was talki-mm!" And Lavi did it again. _God damn it, Lavi! _Allen cursed the boy on top of him. This time Lavi was holding down his wrists, but that didn't stop Allen from kneeing him off. Lavi 'oofed' and backed into the wall. Allen had stood up and used his hand to shove Lavi further into the wall. Lavi gulped at the angry look on Allen's face. "I'm not going to let you play around with my feelings anymore, Lavi. We're _friends _and if I'm correct, I don't believe that you and Kanda do that kind of stuff with each other, so cut it out!" Allen removed his hand and stalked off. Lavi grabbed onto his wrist and yanked him towards himself. Allen was about to fight back until Lavi did something unexpected.

He hugged him.

Allen was too speechless. He tried to let words come out of his mouth but his mouth didn't seem to want to function right now. Allen he could feel was Lavi's warmth. All his anger he had gathered before was just...gone. Lavi increased his grip and hugged Allen even tighter. _What is he getting at? _Allen was left to wonder what was on Lavi's mind. Lavi couldn't restrain himself from his actions. It made him all the more guiltier whenever Allen had said that Lavi was playing around with Allen's feelings. Lavi wasn't playing around with Allen's feelings, he didn't know what he was doing and he didn't know what was wrong with him when it came to Allen. He just knew that he needed to apologize before he really hurt Allen.

"...I'm sorry, Allen..." He mumbled into said teen's white hair. Allen felt all warm and he truly didn't know what to say. He was just that speechless.

"...I..." Allen couldn't get anything out no matter how much he tried.

"You're right, it shouldn't matter to me, but it does. I'm just worried about you Allen. I don't want you to get hurt ever again." Lavi mumbled reasonably.

"...um..." Allen bit his lip. This hug...was intense. "God damn it, Lavi, you're making it hard for me to be mad at you!" Allen grumbled. Lavi grinned and Allen felt it. He winced at how wide the grin got. It felt painful.

"So am I forgiven?" Lavi asked.

"Yeah, but seriously, don't just...you know...do things like this..." Allen mumbled, not making any direct eye contact with Lavi. Lavi nodded.

"Yeah, I get it. So who are you going out with today? You're not seriously going on a date are you?" Lavi asked. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Who would I go on a date with, Lavi?"

"Tyki?" Lavi suggested.

"Um, no." Allen answered as he made his way out of his room. He jogged downstairs and right when they both made it to the bottom step, the doorbell rang. Allen walked over and opened the door. Lavi was surprised to see a _girl _standing there. She had long, blonde hair and one crystal blue eye. Her other was covered up by a bandage strap. "Don't flirt with her or she'll punch you in the gut." Allen quickly whispered to Lavi. Lavi felt a little hurt that Allen would automatically assume that he would flirt with her, but then again, he had a reason to assume that. She was stunningly beautiful. "Lavi, this is Lala. She was one of my friends back in high school." Allen introduced. Narain looked over curiously, but then returned to roaming around on the computer.

"Oh, I know you! You're that big headed jerk that pulled that prank on Allen!" She said cheerfully. Lavi bowed his head in a depressing sort of way. Nice to know that some people thought of him like that. She giggled. "Sorry, I didn't know you two were friends! Surprising, really. Allen here was just going to show me around town. Even though I went to the high school here, I'm actually a foreign exchange student from Italy." She explained.

"Ah, I see..." Lavi muttered awkwardly.

_So I just freaked out over nothing? I feel like an idiot! _

"So he's just touring you is all?" Lavi asked to confirm what he heard.

"Yeah, what did you think: we were going on a date or something?" Lala laughed. "Does he realize your gay?" She asked Allen.

"Yeah, he knows, he's just an idiot." Allen mumbled nonchalantly. Lavi held his hand over his heart.

"You hurt me so much, you know. All these harsh words like idiot and jerk..."

"Get over it." Allen blurted. Lala giggled.

"Oh don't tell me, are you two going out?" She asked, almost...excited? Lavi and Allen's jaws dropped. They were _just _talking about this.

"No! Why does everyone keep asking that?!" Allen asked, flustered.

"Well, it looks a bit obvious." Narain muttered from behind the computer screen. They all turned to face him.

"Narain!" Allen exclaimed.

"Sorry! Just adding my input it..." He mumbled.

"Jeez, I swear...so where do you want to go to first?" Allen asked Lala. Lala smiled.

"Oh, anywhere is fine-how about we take Lavi along with us? I've been dying to try out the new amusement park and I'm sure you guys have enough money. I know it's a bit sudden and all..." She trailed off invitingly.

"Oh, I don't see what the big deal is." Allen replied. Lavi did a victory leap.

"Woo-hoo! I've been dying to go there for like months now!" Lavi cheered.

"Says the guy who gets excited over just riding up the escalators." Allen mumbled. Lavi blushed.

"Hey, that was rude!" He grumbled, embarrassed that a girl had heard about his whole fantasies with escalators. They were fun and Bookman never let him ride on them when he was little.

"Right! So let's go!" Lala cheered happily and skipped towards Allen's car. Allen unlocked the door and she hopped in the back, all jittery. Allen jumped in the driver's seat and sat there for a moment before turning on the ignition. _I must have way too much time on my hands to be doing this..._Allen confirmed. Lavi hopped in the passenger's seat and Allen started the car. He pulled out of the driveway and drove off.

_Today's going to be interesting. _

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**OH. MY. GOD. Finally done! So many freaking distractions! My brain is weird...it wanted to randomly know if any anime characters shared my birthday! I came up with only two or three characters that I don't even know. How special am I, right? -sigh- I'm so bored. I'm definitely going to sleep after this is posted. I really hope I can sleep though. I drank a lot of Pepsi today so I might not be able to because of all the sugar. I don't -sneezes randomly- ugh. My sinuses...they burn! Stupid cold weather! v~v -sniffle- I can't even remember what I was about to say (type?). It is getting hard to type chapters nowadays though because my mom's boyfriend (as you may know as 'Mike') doesn't like the clicking sounds on the keyboard and with my keyboard, it's hard to be quiet. If _only _they moved the computer in my room! -sigh- that would be the life...that I don't have xD I'll probably never have a life! For my career, I have _officially _chosen to be a voice actor. It's going to be hard, I know, but I'm going to keep on trying! Oh did any of you guys know that Lala and Winry Rockbell have the same voice actor? I found that out when I was searching up info on Lala...I don't think I've mentioned her yet -bangs head on wall- why does this story have to be so long?! I need some characters that I've left out...like legit. I need _more _characters to work with here! D: Well, I'm being laggy for the Halloween party. You know what would be ironic? If I actually ended up getting the party on Halloween in rl. That would be legit. Yeah...I haven't looked at the poll voters yet xD -checks poll right now- 41 voters! ^^ Nice! *can't remember how many voters she had last time* Thank you to all the voters and most of all to my reviewers! Wowwies! Almost 400 reviews?! I'm flattered, really! :3 Thanks bunches to NoName-chan (-insert stalker face here-), ellarockabella, midnightstardust, Shirubagure, Snipperita, roseahal, MintGreenn, the3leonine, Lyokni, smileysparklea, Katie2000, Guest 23, Guest, Sparkle-de-Human, Sparkle-de-Cat (are you the same as Sparkle-de-Human?! o.o) bookspazz55, Guesty Guest, VeridianSoul for reviewing! They really mean a lot to me! Yes, I'm still going with the Allen in Wonderland theme! ^^**


	37. Chapter 37

**Ugh, I'm all sick. I hate cold weather and I can't tell you how many times I've sneezed today. Yeah, random lady that works with my mom came in and was talking to her and stuff. I know her a little because she used to come over and stay the night while I was upstairs in my room because...they were random and creeped me out xD Yeah, well, she dropped some stuff off for my mom and when she was getting ready to leave...she hugged me. It was so awkward! For one, I barely know her, for two, people don't hug me on a regular basis! Except for my friend *cough* ****_Liza Daniels_**** *cough* but yeah, I didn't go to school today and slept in til 3:30pm xD Then I made a Panda Lick Icon on dA and...I dunno what else...but whatever. Ugh, I need more tea...throat...burns...ow...anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

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It became quite awkward in the car as Allen started driving to the new amusement park. It was probably about an hour away and Lala and Lavi hadn't said a single thing since they got in the car. It was quite odd for Lavi to not speak for a long time and Allen started to get worried about him. _What if he's thinking about what I said to him earlier? What if he's really not playing around with my feelings and actually...likes me? No, that can't be true. He said he just needed to do that kind of stuff and that we were just friends. _Allen thought and glanced over at Lavi, who was looking at the road with a concentrated expression. He glanced over at Allen and they both looked back at the road, blushing. Lala giggled in the back and Lavi turned to face her with a puzzled look. Allen did the same in the rear-view mirror.

"You guys are so cute." She complimented. This just made both of the young adults blush deeper.

"Pfft, I'm not cute, I'm sexy." Lavi boasted and turned around in his seat. He clicked on the seat warmer and turned Allen's on as well. Lala just rolled her eyes and gazed out the window.

"It's so quiet in here, how about some music?" She suggested. Allen chuckled and turned up the radio. Lavi looked over at him, confused by his actions. What was so funny about it being quiet? Lavi opened his mouth to ask the question on his mind when Allen spoke up.

"Lala and I took Choir together." Allen explained, not even looking at Lavi. Lavi closed his mouth.

"...oh..." He mumbled. Lala giggled again and both Lavi and Allen repeated their actions and looked at her again.

"You guys would be a great couple." She stated truthfully. Allen grunted and turned back towards the road. Lavi then looked at Allen with a puzzled look. _What's he so grumpy about? _Lavi and Lala both wondered together.

_Paper bags and plastic hearts  
All are belongings in shopping carts  
It's goodbye  
But we got one more night_

"Oh hey, I like this song!" Lala said in a sing-song voice. Allen said nothing, though he agreed with her. He loved this song. Both him and Lala started humming along with it as well. Lavi felt left out, he wasn't exactly the perfect singer. He heard Allen sing before, and he thought Allen sounded great.

_Let's get drunk and ride around  
And make peace with an empty town  
We can make it right_

Lala sang along with the singers singing the song. Lavi thought she didn't sound so bad actually. He was waiting for Allen to join in though, but Allen didn't seem like he was going to sing along. Lala hit Allen's arm. Allen gave Lala a confused look through the mirror. He didn't want to get distracted from the road so he didn't sing. By the look on Lala's face, she really wanted him to sing with her and it wouldn't be the first time. He had to pair up with her in choir because his voice was too 'high' and she had to 'balance him out'. It was quite embarrassing to say the least. But Lala always assured him that he was needed to balance her out too.

_Throw it away  
Forget yesterday  
We'll make the great escape  
We won't hear a word they say  
They don't know us anyway  
Watch it burn  
Let it die  
Cause we are finally free tonight_

Allen and Lala sang together. Allen didn't look at her at all though since he was trying to keep an eye on the road. Lavi was dazzled by their voices. _They should like, try out on The X Factor together or something! They make a great duet together. _Lavi decided as he listened to them sing. _I wonder why Allen doesn't sing regularly. _Lavi thought as he stared at Allen. Allen noticed Lavi's stare and tried his best not to get nervous and snap. Lavi was actually watching him sing.

"You know, you should sing more often." Lavi commented. "You should sing karaoke at my next party!" Lavi gasped. Allen snapped his mouth shut, remembering the last time he sang karaoke at Lavi's party. Lavi didn't even listen to the rest of the song. Yeah, sure Lavi wouldn't know that Allen was singing about him, but he could've at least stayed to listen. Lala stopped singing as well and looked at Allen.

"You had a party?" Lala asked Lavi. Lavi nodded.

"Oh yeah, my birthday party. Huh, that reminds me, when is your birthday, Allen?" Lavi asked. Allen didn't expect that question and suddenly felt _really _nervous. He didn't often think himself of having a birthday. Mana adopted him on the 25th of December, but it wasn't as if that was actually his birthday...he didn't know when his birthday was since he was abandoned as a baby but Mana and Neah often celebrated his birthday with Christmas.

Allen really didn't know how to answer Lavi's question.

"Um...why?" Allen asked. Lavi frowned at his reply. Why else? So he could get him something!

"Oh c'mon, Allen." Lavi playfully hit Allen's shoulder. Allen sighed and took a turn.

"I don't know..." He mumbled and continued, seeing a sign for the amusement park. It was five miles away. Lavi blinked.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Lavi asked.

"You do realize that I'm adopted, right?" Allen said seriously. Lavi opened his mouth but then closed it. He repeated this action a couple of times. Neah did say that he and Mana found Allen off the streets...Lala was absolutely quiet at this point.

"Oh, well then shouldn't it be your adoption date then?" Lavi asked.

"December 25th." Allen replied.

"Dude! Your birthday is on Christmas?! That's legit." Lavi commented.

"My adoption date is on Christmas." Allen grumbled and pulled into the large parking lot and paid the parking fee. Lavi deadpanned.

"You've never celebrated your birthday, have you?" Lavi asked.

"I have." Allen mumbled. "I just...don't anymore..." Allen said quietly.

"Why not?" Lavi asked innocently.

Then, for some reason, two tapes came up in his mind. There was the one he watched: _AMD 12-28; _and then there was the one Neah took: _DMD 12-25. That was the one Neah said we couldn't watch and it was on Christmas...MD stands for Mana's Death...but then what does the D mean? _Lavi was so tempted to just text Neah and ask about the whole thing. If only the label was labeled BMD it would be 'Before Mana's Death' but it wasn't...so there wasn't a before, but there was an after and a D..._during? No...but then how would they get the tape? Unless they implanted cameras in Allen's house...that would make sense since Mana was involved with The Akuma and they were investigating them. So does that mean...Mana died on Christmas? If that's true then...Mana died on Allen's birthday...oh._

_I really gotta see that tape. _

"Well...this just got awkward-woo! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Lavi hopped out of the car before Allen had fully even parked.

"Lavi! That was dangerous!" Allen scolded, braking to a stop. Lala lurched in her seat and grumbled. "Sorry, Lala..." Allen apologized. She nodded and opened the car door. Lavi was running around in circles, excited. Several little kids and girls were pointing and laughing at him. Allen grabbed onto Lavi's arm and he was yanked back towards Allen and caused them both to fall on the car.

"Ow! That hurt my arm! What was that for?" Lavi asked as he turned around to face Allen, who was holding onto his stomach from the pain.

"Please behave, Lavi, you're older than I am." Allen wheezed. Lavi stuck his tongue out at Allen and Allen face palmed. "Let's just go." Allen sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm excited! C'mon, Allen, let's go!" Lavi exclaimed excitedly and grabbed Allen's hand. He started dragging Allen off.

"Hey wait for me, you guys!" Lala shouted and ran after them. Allen blushed and looked down at their hands that were entwined together. Lavi would usually drag him by his wrist...but they were actually _holding hands..._

"L-Lavi, stop running so f-fast!" Allen said, blushing. Lavi grinned wider at the blush on Allen's face. He bumped into a photographer that was too excited to move out of the way...and Allen was dragged along with them. All three of them made a replica of the Human Pretzel.

"My, my, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you standing there!" Lavi apologized and jumped off of whoever he ran into, sending Allen on his back.

"Oof..." Allen wheezed and arched his back against the pavement. It knocked the air out of him. Lavi turned around.

"Oh, my bad, sorry!" Lavi said and grabbed Allen hand, hoisting him back up. Allen blushed when Lavi was _still _holding his hand.

"Um...Lavi..."

"Hm?" He hummed.

"...you can let go of my hand now..." Allen mumbled. Lavi blinked.

"But why? I'm still dragging you!" Lavi said. The photographer in front of them _squealed. _Lavi had totally forgotten that she had been there. He looked down at her excited face.

"Are you two a couple?!" She asked excitingly. Allen face palmed and Lavi beamed.

"No, we're not..." Allen grumbled.

"Awe, can I take a picture of you two anyways?! I'm advertising for the park! We're making a brochure and I need pictures!" She explained. Lala finally caught up and bent over to get some air.

"Jeez, you guys run fast!" She said. "What's going on?" She asked, seeing the photographer.

"This girl wants to take a picture of the most sexiest guy on earth, with little Allen here." Lavi said, patting his hand on Allen's shoulder. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you come here, Lala?" Allen said, waving her to come over. Lala jogged over cautiously and Allen put her in between him and Lavi, letting go of his hand. Lavi pouted.

"Awe, you're no fun." Lavi stated. The photographer giggled and held up her camera.

"Everyone say cheese!" She commanded.

"How cheesy." Lavi commented. They all laughed and the photographer needed time to compose herself. In this time, Lavi reached his hand past Lala and grabbed Allen's within it. Allen blushed and looked over at him with a weak glare. Lavi gave him a cheesy smile. The girl came back with a smile on her face and directed their attention to the camera. They all smiled and she flashed the picture at them.

"Thanks a lot, you three." She said, smiling. Lavi started dragging Allen off again. Lala sighed.

"Wait up you guys!" She yelled and started running with them. They all bought their tickets at the front gate and continued to pass through. What was unexpected, was that you had to go through a small security phase where they check you for any weapons.

"They're pretty tight with security, huh?" Lala asked as she watched them check people for weapons. She looked at Lavi and saw a serious, somewhat glare on Lavi's face as he looked at the security guards that checked people. They happened to be some high school students...and Allen's neighbors.

Tyki's brothers.

The other security checker was Tyki.

_Well shit. If they lay one hand on Allen in a perverted way...I'll...agh, I'll do something! _Lavi threatened inside his mind. Lala struck up a small conversation about Lavi with Allen and Allen was denying any feelings of love towards Lavi while he was distracted. Lala didn't seem to believe him though. She patted him on the head and smiled, assuring that everything was going to be okay. He just gave her the most confusing look he could give anyone. She simply laughed at him. Her laughing attracted the attention of the security checkers and all of their eyes widened when they saw Allen, who was puffing his cheeks out at Lala. Lala giggled at him. Devit and Jasdero neglected their duties and walked over towards Allen. Lavi was keeping his eye on them the entire time. They both appeared at his sides and slung their arms around his shoulders. Allen froze up.

"What's cooking, good looking?" Devit said. Tyki looked over to see his brothers flirting with Allen and neglecting their duties. Allen didn't look very comfortable. Allen gently took their hands and brought them off his shoulders.

"Oh, nothing much..." He replied sharply.

"Oh c'mon, don't make that face, you make me seem like a pervert." Devit said. Jasdero snickered at Allen's frown. Devit just grinned. Tyki watched them with narrowed eyes. He was quite impressed that Allen didn't freak out on them for touching him. Maybe his phobia was gone now. Tyki's gaze traveled over to Lavi, who seemed to be glaring at the twins the entire time. Tyki looked back at Allen, who was trying to avoid looking at Devit while he spoke to Lala. A short gust of wind blew through his hair and Tyki's eyes narrowed.

_Is that...?_

Tyki pushed his way past the crowd and stopped whenever he stood in front of Allen. Allen looked up at him and gave Tyki a wave and greeted him. Tyki didn't even hear the words Allen greeted him with, instead, he was looking solely at the scar above Allen's left eye. It looked more fresh and was filled in...it was...different from before. Something had to have happened to Allen because Tyki knew Allen wouldn't have just done something like that to himself. Tyki raised his hand and pushed Allen's bangs back to look at the scar. Allen blushed at the contact and stared at Tyki with wide and confused eyes.

"Your scar...it's different...what happened?" Tyki asked seriously. This caught Lavi's attention and he looked at Allen's scar. It was different indeed. _That's right...that one time Allen had a bandage over his left eye and blood was coming out...but what happened? Did someone hurt him? He looked beat up and everything...but..._when Lavi thought of the words 'beat up', he remembered what Narain had told him about Allen...the fact that Allen got the crap beat out of him everyday and it was _Lavi's _fault. This killed Lavi's mood by ninety percent. Allen was seen to avert his eyes and look away from Tyki.

"...it's nothing..." He said and pushed Tyki's arm down. Tyki gave him a worried glance and Allen just didn't look at him. How could he? If he told anyone about what happened...it would be like a nightmare or memory all coming back to him. He was supposed to be spending time with Lavi and Lala at the new amusement park, not getting depressed over what happened to him and Cross...Allen rubbed his throat, remembering what happened. It started to burn. "Well...it was nice seeing you I guess..." Allen mumbled and backed away until he was beside Lala. Tyki gave him a 'I'll talk to you later' look before walking off and getting back to his duties. The twins stared at him curiously before wandering back over with Tyki.

"...awkward..." Lala sang. Allen laughed.

"Yeah, that was a bit weird...anyways-"

"It has changed, hasn't it?" Lala asked, looking at Allen's scar.

"...I don't want to talk about it..." Allen mumbled. Lala nodded.

"I understand. Anyways, enough with the doom and gloom! Let's go have some fun! You too, Lavi, let's go." Lala grabbed both of their hands and started skipping over to the security phase of the whole thing. Lavi _really _didn't want Tyki to check him, but he didn't want the perverted twins to either...but it was better him than Allen, huh? So he switched with Allen to have Tyki check him for weapons. Lala seemed awkward about the whole thing and had a woman named Lulubell check her. Devit and Jasdero sent Tyki an envious look until Lavi stepped up. They looked at him with gleams in their eyes.

To say Lavi felt uncomfortable, was an understatement.

He really felt like he was being molested, rather than being checked for weapons. No one just grabs his butt to 'check for weapons'. He could only hope that Allen was having a much better time than he was at this. Of course, though, Allen was being checked by Tyki, who neglected him as a friend after he heard the news about Neah and Mana being in the Akuma gang. Allen awkward stepped into the security stall where Tyki was standing there. Tyki gestured for him to come in further and shut the curtain behind him. _Wow, talk about awkward..._Allen thought. Tyki seemed completely serious though when he started feeling for anything sharp. _These things aren't supposed to be awkward..._Allen thought. What was the whole reason of the curtain anyways?

Things only seemed to get more awkward when Tyki's hands went higher from his knees and Allen could feel Tyki's hands resting right below his thighs. Tyki looked up at Allen seriously. Allen blushed from the look and looked away. Tyki shrugged and continued his search upward. He felt Allen's pockets-_all _of his pockets-and then started moving up again. Nothing seemed to be hidden in his shirt. Tyki really didn't think Allen would carry weapons with him anyways. He just didn't seem like that kind of person. While Allen wasn't looking, Tyki held onto Allen's chin and tilted it upwards to meet Allen's soft, gray eyes. Tyki used his other hand to look at Allen's scar again. Allen found himself staring at Tyki. He just couldn't stop staring. Many question buzzed around in Allen's head and he seemed to only feel warmer when Tyki's eyes met Allen's.

Was it just him...or was Tyki getting closer?

Tyki _was _in fact getting closer. _Is he going to...? _Allen trailed his thoughts off when he felt Tyki's lips pressed against his own. _This is...just...why...I...oh brother...what do I do?! _Allen thought, flustered. _A-am I supposed to kiss back? But what about Lavi...wait...why am I thinking about Lavi? Lavi's just my friend...he doesn't love me...but...does Tyki? Now I'm really confused. _Allen was only used to people telling him what to do. Tyki wasn't saying anything at all, or reasoning anything at all. Allen was just so used to Lavi _needing _what Allen gave him...so did Tyki need it too? Poor Allen was so confused. Tyki was glad Allen wasn't pulling away, and didn't necessarily know what this meant, but he was confused that Allen just wasn't doing anything. Allen knew he had to do something when he felt Tyki's tongue on his lips but he just couldn't decide what was right and what was wrong.

Lavi wasn't his boyfriend or anything, so he was free to do whatever he wanted with who he wanted...but Tyki most likely only liked him and didn't love him. Lenalee did say that he had a crush on Allen...but that was four months ago...so what was he supposed to do? Since Allen couldn't decide what he wanted to do, Tyki's tongue forced it's way through Allen's lips. Allen made a noise of recognition and Tyki draped his arm around Allen's waist and pulled him closer. It felt so wrong to Allen, but that could be because he was just used to kissing Lavi. Allen felt all restless once Tyki and Allen's tongues met. He couldn't help but kiss back and Tyki was simply overjoyed. Neither of them knew about the feelings they held for one another, but it wasn't as if anyone could see or judge them...

Tyki _knew _Allen loved Lavi, but he liked Allen. Found him attractive. So it wouldn't hurt to give Allen some love until Lavi took over, right? Tyki could only see this as helping Allen. He knew Allen didn't love him, or maybe not even like him, but he knew Allen found him attractive. They could just be friends and talk about things they thought about and could just vent to each other about, right? That would work for the both of them. Allen could tell Tyki his problems and Tyki could tell Allen his own problems.

This could definitely work.

* * *

**BAM. DONE. Okay, that last part with Tyki kinda wrote itself. I wasn't expecting it either...Poker Pair fan-service? *weak smile* I thought Tyki honestly needed more lovin...he's lonely, okay? Maybe I'll hook him and...and...um...Narain up together or something random like that xD Hell, with Suman...only that would be weird because in the anime Tyki tried to (SPOILER ALERT) kill Suman and all...and Narain was already (SPOILER ALERT) dead...lil' help here? Who should I hook Tyki up with? xD Oh and I just got the most perfect suggestion! I'm not saying who suggested it though because then it would give it away...but I'll definitely give a shout out to that person once it's done...no kid, it's an awesome idea. So glad I got a suggestion! ;D And NO Lavi isn't going to know about Tyki and Allen. It's hard for me to write embarrassing walk-in cheating-like things...if that made any sense...distracted once again by dA and No *cough* Name *cough* chan *cough*. STAHP DISTRACTING ME! XD I kid, I kid, I'm too lonely to deny you xD Woot! Right, so thanks to the 42 voters! And last but not least, my reviewers! -squeals loudly- ...ow, my throat...I'm totally not doing that again. #Sick#Hashtagsareweird#Idon'tunderstandhashtags#ST FUwiththehashtags! Right...anyways...thanks to Lyokni (did I ever mention how much I LOVE your profile picture?), xXxPhantomxXx, Jazebeth (OMG THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME! DX), ellarockabella, Shirubagure, The Amazing Emiko-chan, Kinue, NoName-chan (-insert horrified Allen face-), the3leonine (yeah, sorry, it's one of my favorite words xD), midnightstardust (!), Lavi Bookman 2 (congratulations?), smileysparklea, Guest, bookspazz55, and Sparkle-de-Cat (Ooooh...) for reviewing! **


	38. Chapter 38

**You all probably want to chop my head off right around now, don't you? xD Yeah, truth be told, I've been sick all week and attempting not to puke my guts out. I actually went to school Wednesday!...but then I felt sick halfway and had to leave early...and on top of that I didn't turn in an Emergency Medical Form so they didn't know that Mike (the person picking me up) was mom's boyfriend...or trustworthy. So I had to show them I texted mom to text him...yeah, it was a whole mess of things. I don't get it though, how can they be sure that she was my mom if they didn't have an emergency medical form in the first place?! I mean, yeah, all the times she picked me up. Whatever...I never got to turn it in anyways xD I was sleeping...then I'd wake up and randomly clean the house (I don't know why...I did though...) and then I'd drink some hot tea (heh Kanda) or hot chocolate. Then I finally felt better on Friday but I went to dads and he doesn't have internet...and then my brother's friend ate all the food. Gahd I hate him (not my brother, his friend) and now I also have a butt-load of homework and other things to catch up on. And now I'm sitting here drinking Raspberry tea because it's the only thing we got...we ran out of milk for the hot chocolate -huge sigh- so yeah. Anyways, enough of my ramblings...the roller coasters I put in here are based off of real roller coasters. For example, the first one _mentioned_ is actually at Cedar Point (in Ohio of course xD) and it's called 'The Wicked Twister' ...when I got up close to ride it...I wanted to leave. Mom wouldn't let me though since we waited in the line for half an hour xD I thought I was going to pee myself lol. It was actually pretty fun though but Mom didn't want to go through the long line again so we settled for something else. I have _never _been on a roller coaster that goes upside down and I _never _will. The Wicked Twister was close enough! I can't wait for tomorrow though! :D Halloween parade and dressing up, yay! We're playing Scooby-Doo (again xD We played that last year lol. I thought we played Frankenstein, but apparently that was Sophomore year)**

* * *

After Tyki and Allen had parted from the kiss, Allen looked down and wouldn't make any eye contact with Tyki. _I can't believe I did that...I really kissed him! _Allen thought nervously. _Oh what would Lavi say if he saw us doing that..._Allen panicked. Nobody could see them through the curtain, could they? It wasn't transparent, right? Were they taking too long? Tyki put his hand on Allen's shoulder to calm him down. He was so easy to read. Allen looked up at him and Tyki just smiled.

"I'll see you around, boy. I think we have many things to talk about." Tyki said before escorting Allen out of the curtain. He watched behind him as the next customer came to Tyki. Tyki waved Allen goodbye before closing the curtain.

"Oi, Allen! Over here!" Lavi called, inwardly laughing at how lost Allen looked. Allen spotted Lavi's rambunctious waving and trotted over. They didn't seem to act out of the ordinary...except for the fact Lavi looked like he just came out of a blender. His hair and clothes were shriveled and he had a weak, but somewhat pissed off, smile on his face.

"...what happened to you?" Allen asked, giving Lavi a worried look. It looked like he had gotten in a wrestling match with an ape.

"Oh, just about lost my ass is all, but never mind that, Tyki didn't do anything stupid to you, did he?" Lavi asked suspiciously. _I wouldn't say stupid..._Allen thought to himself; and there was no way he was going to tell Lavi that he kissed Tyki.

"Not really, why?" Allen asked, looking at Lavi. "...and what do you mean by-" Allen was silenced when Lavi held his hand up.

"Never am I speaking of this." He said in a formal voice.

"Right..." Allen said slowly. "...so, what are we going to do first?" Allen asked. Lala seemed pretty enthusiastic and Allen was nervous. He never really rode on many roller coasters in his lifetime. Mana and Neah took him to an amusement park once, but he was still young and had to ride the little kid rides. Everything else looked scary though. Lavi started looking around and spotted one.

"How about that one?" Lavi asked, pointing at a roller coaster ride. Lala and Allen looked at where he was pointing and their eyes widened. There were two sides to the roller coaster and they both went up pretty high and twisted at each end.

"Um, how about no." Allen and Lala said together. Lavi frowned and stared at them.

"Why not? It looks like a hell of a fun time to me." He finished, grinning. Lala laughed nervously.

"It looks scary...I don't want to get sick..." Lala said.

"Hey, at least I'm not making you ride _that _one." Lavi pointed to a roller coaster that literally went 100 feet in the air over a large hill and then straight down a steep drop. Allen had no color in his face whatsoever. "I hear sometimes if you don't have the right momentum, it will fall backwards!" Lavi said excitedly. They looked at him as if he were insane. Who would be excited over that?!

"Yeah, Lavi, you're a bit too enthusiastic about wanting to die." Lala said pointedly. Allen nodded in agreement. Lavi shrugged.

"I like the thrill." He commented, then paused. "Isn't that the entire point of roller coasters?" Lavi asked.

"I don't think I like roller coasters anymore then..." Allen mumbled. Lala nodded her head. Lavi rolled his eyes.

"You guys are a bunch of chickens. Bok, bok, bok!" He mimicked then noise of a chicken at them.

"You are immature." Allen countered. Lavi pouted.

"I don't wanna grow up!" Lavi whined, flinging himself at Allen.

"Hey, stop, get off of me." Allen grumbled. Lavi was way too heavy for him. _There is no way he could be a little kid anymore..._Allen thought and got Lavi to get off of him.

"You guys are no fun! What else are we supposed to do if not ride roller coasters?" Lavi asked, pouting.

"We can ride roller coasters...just ones that won't make us pee our pants." Lala said reasonably.

"Like?" Lavi asked.

"We could ride that one." Lala said, pointing at one. It was completely made out of wood and really high up, but there wasn't any complex turns or anything...that she knew of. Lavi and Allen shrugged.

"Seems good to me." Allen agreed.

"Anything's fine with me." Lavi added.

The trio started towards the roller coaster and waited in two separate lines. Lala chose the blue roller coaster while Lavi and Allen chose the red one. Allen started getting nervous once it came time to actually ride the coaster. It looked pretty high up...an employee that ran the ride let the two through a gate and seated them near the front. He then lowered the bar on their legs and started announcing things like 'Please keep all limbs inside the coaster at all times'...like anyone ever followed _those _rules. Everyone always threw their hands in the air on roller coasters! Allen made sure to keep a firm grip on the bar that rested on their legs.

"Ya ready, Allen?" Lavi asked excitingly. Allen simply nodded and the ride started. It then proceeded to go up a slope_ very _slowly. It built up so much suspense and it actually started to make Allen nervous. The ride looked practically harmless.

Oh how wrong he was.

The coaster flew down the track and Allen held onto the bar for dear life. They heard multiple screams from the back and the front. Allen was scared out of his wits...it didn't exactly help that Lavi was _laughing _the entire time. The two coasters, red and blue, separated from each other and went down separate tracks. The red flew down a track and turned to the right very roughly that Allen was thrown onto Lavi. Lavi gave out a shout. Allen gave him an _are-you-serious? _look and Lavi laughed. Allen didn't quite enjoy being roughly shoved into Lavi. On the other hand, Lavi was enjoying the entire thing. He smiled and placed his hand over Allen's, which was gripping the bar so tightly his knuckles turned white. Allen blushed and looked up at Lavi. Lavi just gave him his signature charming smile. Allen averted his eyes, embarrassed that he was so scared of a simple little ride.

The coaster went back into it's less-rough mode and wasn't shoving Allen into Lavi anymore...but Lavi still had his hand over Allen's. Allen sent an upward glance at Lavi to see the red head smiling. He truly looked happy too. _That such a small thing can make Lavi happy...I wonder what else he likes...besides parties of course. _Allen thought curiously. He looked forward and saw that they were finally getting to a stop. Lavi started pouting and Allen simply laughed. He needed to chew Lala out for this one. As they got out of the coaster, they made their way over to the front of the roller coaster where they all decided to meet up. Allen felt for the poor girl as he saw her shuffling over, holding her gut. She looked really pale...

"Lavi, I think we ought to take Lala home..." Allen said as he eyed Lala...hopefully she wouldn't throw up. Lavi looked saddened by Allen's suggestion.

"Why?! We just got here!" Lavi cried. Allen rolled his eyes at his melodramatic friend.

"Okay, you can stay here, I'm taking Lala home. I'll swing by later to pick you up, make sure you have your phone on you." Allen replied and rubbed Lala's back like it was going to help her feel any better.

"You don't even have my number-" Lavi started.

"Yeah I do." Allen interrupted. Lavi blinked; how and _when _did Allen get his number? _Maybe Lenalee gave it to him...or something? _Lavi shrugged and then pouted. _He never texts me! _"I don't text anyone, Lavi." Allen answered his thoughts. _He must be psychic! _Lavi thought. "...and no, I'm not psychic." _What the hell?! _

"Right...that's what they all say..." Lavi said slowly as he inched away from Allen.

"See ya later, Lavi." Allen waved as he escorted Lala awkwardly out of the amusement park. Tyki gave him an odd stare and Allen gestured to Lala, who seriously looked like she was about to puke her guts out. He nodded his head with understanding and they walked back out into the parking lot. Then, Allen paused.

He had no idea where his car was.

"Um..." Allen trailed off as Lala kept walking forward.

"You were somewhere in the D section..." Lala mumbled so quietly Allen had to strain his ears to hear it.

"Some...where...?" He muttered hoarsely. Well, that narrowed their search down to one hundred cars. They both started searching the D section. Lala had to sit on a curb to prevent herself from throwing up while Allen searched for it. Lala looked around and gave out a laugh.

"Allen!" She quietly called. Allen jogged over.

"What's up, Lala? Are you going to..." Allen paused his sentence invitingly.

"No, no, it's right behind me, see?" Lala pointed her thumb behind her. Allen looked past her and just wanted to blow up. He was so tempted to press the Panic Button just to find it. He was so glad he didn't though...Lala probably would've thrown up for sure then.

"Now I feel like an idiot..." Allen mumbled as he helped her up. He unlocked the doors and escorted her into the passenger seat. They both turned on the seat heaters, not realizing how cold they were until they were in the car. _How can Lavi stand this weather? _Allen thought as he started to pull out of the parking lot. He turned the music up to soothe Lala's sickness. It worked and she ended up falling asleep halfway through the drive, leaving Allen alone to his thoughts. About Lavi, of course.

_He's going to end up freezing his butt off, he'll probably get sick too...and then Kanda will refuse to take care of him. I'm sure Lenalee would be able to handle it though. _Allen sighed as he stopped at a red light. He just wanted to get home. _I wonder how much longer Lavi will stay at the park...probably until he's ridden every single ride. _Allen shuddered. _Yeah, probably. I would never do that...they all look so scary and it's way too cold out to be riding roller coasters! _Allen glanced over at Lala, who was sleeping peacefully. He drove to her house and her grandfather, Guzol, came out and greeted Allen.

"Hello there, young man, would you like to come inside?" Guzol asked politely.

"Oh, no, that's fine. She got a little sick so I came to take her home." Allen replied back with the same tone of politeness in his voice.

"Thank you very much, but will you please escort her inside. I don't want to end up falling and bringing her down with me, and I'm way too weak to escort her myself. If you would be so kind..." Guzol trailed off. Allen nodded, inwardly sighing, and turned off the ignition. He unlocked the doors and walked around to Lala's side. He gently shook her shoulder.

"Lala. Lala, wake up, you can rest when you get inside." Allen spoke softly. Lala's blue eye opened and she stared at Allen before looking around. She blushed, realizing that she fell asleep, leaving him alone to himself in the car.

"Oh, my...it seems like I fell asleep, I'm sorry!" She apologized and unbuckled herself.

"It's fine." Allen flashed her a smile. She smiled back, suddenly feeling a lot better. In high school, she never got to see the boy smile a lot. He only ever said 'Excuse me' or 'Sorry' or sometimes a soft hello. But she never really held a real conversation with him until now. She blamed this on Lavi, but Lavi seemed to be making it up to Allen after all, and Allen seemed a lot happier now that the two were friends. _Or more than friends..._Lala thought deviously. Allen and Guzol were staring at her expectantly. She blinked and looked at them.

"Hm?" She hummed.

"I was asking if you felt alright...are you alright?" Allen asked cautiously. Lala nodded and grinned.

"Never been better! Well, I guess I'll see you some other time, Allen! See ya later!" Lala waved. Allen opened his car door and was about to get in when he heard Lala shout to him. "Oh! And say hi to Lavi for me!" Lala winked. Allen didn't know what to think of that and just settled for a puzzled look. She giggled and ran into the house squealing like a fangirl.

"Well...that was odd." Guzol mumbled as he started making his way towards the house.

"It was..." Allen mumbled back as he got into his car and drove off. It wasn't long before he was parked into his driveway. He relaxed against the seat, just thinking about nothing in particular. He paused for a moment before pulling out the key and locking his door. He headed toward the house and took his key out from under the mat, unlocking it. Once he walked in, he saw Narain lounging out on the couch.

"The door was already unlocked." Narain said blankly. Allen blinked a few times before blushing.

"I...oh hush, you." Allen mumbled. Narain chuckled and watched as Allen shuffled into the kitchen. _Of course. Food. _Narain thought, rolling his eyes. He stood up and walked into the kitchen, plopping himself down on one of the way-too-high-chairs-for-the-small-table.

"So," Narain started, watching Allen make himself a sandwich.

"...so?" Allen asked invitingly.

"I got a job." Narain answered. He watched Allen cautiously and was a bit nervous when he noticed Allen stiffen up. Allen seemed to be really thinking hard about this. Narain didn't get what there was to think about though.

Allen was more concerned about being alone in the house. For one, it could creep him out from time to time being so alone, and the other was...The Akuma Gang. He was already worried for Lavi and Narain being targeted by the gang. Now, if Narain left, he'd have to deal with them all by himself. Who knows how that could work out...but he guessed it was better than getting his friends hurt. He might be able to end this whole predicament once and for all. But that all depended on his strength.

"Congratulations." Allen mumbled absentmindedly as he searched through the fridge.

"What are you thinking about?" Narain questioned.

"Oh, nothing in particular..." Allen replied, and munched on his bologna sandwich. He took out his pitcher of tea and put it on the counter. After pouring himself a glass, he proceeded to the table and sat down in one of the ridiculously tall chairs.

"Uhuh, sure." Narain replied. Allen stared at him for a long time. _He and his sister was already targeted by The Akuma Gang because of me...if they find out he's here again...who knows what will happen. _Allen accidentally sighed aloud. Why did this have to happen to him? "Seriously though, what are you so bummed out about. Wait...where's Lavi?" Narain asked.

"Hm? Oh I left him at the amusement park, why?" Allen replied casually. Narain's eyes widened considerably.

"Are you nuts?! Do you know what kind of trouble he'll get into?!" Narain exclaimed. Allen simply shrugged.

"Not my problem." Allen replied before taking another huge bite. "I'll pick him up when he tells me to."

"Allen! That's irresponsible...and...you guys were supposed to come back together!" Narain complained. Allen gave Narain a _really _odd look then.

"Why are you so concerned about me coming back with Lavi?" Allen asked. Narain seemed to get extremely nervous after Allen asked this question.

"Um...well...you know how Fou won't ever take Bak out on dates?" Narain asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Allen asked.

"Well, I was trying to help him out..." Narain paused.

"...continue..."

"And Fou would only go if..." He paused.

"If?" Allen asked.

"If I got you and Lavi to do a double date with them..." Narain whispered quietly. Allen slammed his hands on the table as he stood up.

"WHAT?!" He shouted. Narain flinched away from the younger boy. He sure was scary when angry.

"W-w-well I was just trying t-to help him o-out! You understand, don't you? And Fou wouldn't agree to anything else!" Narain whined. Allen sighed and buried his face in his hands. Great. What would Lavi think about this? The worse part about the whole thing was that Allen loved Lavi...now he was going on a 'supposed' date with the man he loved...who might or might not love him back-not that he would really know.

"Ugh." Allen groaned.

"Besides, I thought you loved Lavi." Narain pointed out. Allen chucked his sandwich at Narain's face. Narain scowled at the mayo that was now all in his hair. "Okay, that was uncalled for." Narain grimaced.

"As well as your comment." Allen grumbled as he hit his head on the table multiple times before just laying it there to rest. Narain sneakily took Allen's tea and dumped it on his head. Allen's jaw drop and he froze. "You did _not _just do that." Allen growled.

"...and what if I did?" Narain asked sweetly.

Let the chaos begin.

Allen didn't know how far the little food fight would go. All he knew was that random food was flying everywhere. How it turned out so...messy was beyond him. They just kept throwing food at each other, somewhat actually enjoying the fight. Neither of them heard the knocking on the door or the doorbell ringing. On the other side of the door, Neah was waiting with a freezing Lavi. _How odd, he isn't answering..._Neah thought to himself. _Sounds like a ruckus is going on in there...I hope they're not fighting..._Neah thought and watched as Lavi stepped in front of him and grabbed the key from under the mat and jammed it in. He was too cold to explain how he knew it was there. Once Lavi walked into the kitchen, he felt something hard smack him in the face and crush open...and then ooze on his face. Neah tried his best to hold back his laughter. _Oh my God...did he just get egged?! _Neah thought, chuckling deeply. Once Lavi got the raw egg off his face, his jaw dropped at the mess. He watched amusingly as Allen and Narain were settling their fight with food.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?!" Neah asked, panicking. They both looked angry and covered with food.

...and Lavi just _had _to join in.

The food that was flying across the room tripled and Neah took shelter behind a chair and watched as everyone was throwing food at each other. _What happened here? _Was all he could wonder as he watched Lavi spoon some chocolate icing at them. They both snapped their heads toward him and glared. _Oh boy..._the chaos got more worse and there was literally food everywhere. Half an hour later, Neah heard someone knocking on the door and didn't hesitate to run out of the room to answer the door. Fou and Bak were standing there, all dressed up. Neah looked surprised.

"Where's Lavi and Allen?" Bak asked nervously. Neah laughed nervously in response.

"They're a bit...busy...at the moment..." Neah said awkwardly.

"Is that flour in your hair?" Fou asked curiously.

"OW!" They heard Narain yelp. "YOU GUYS ARE BEING TOO ROUGH CALM DOWN!" Narain shouted and started crawling out of the kitchen.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Allen shouted.

"What did you say to him?" Fou asked Narain, who was panting from the fight.

"Ah, I told him about the whole date and then proclaimed that he loved Lavi...and then he threw his sandwich at me...so I dumped tea on his head...and I don't know how it turned out like this." Narain shrugged. Fou peeked into the kitchen and smiled lovingly at the two boys chucking food at each other. She snapped a picture before clearing her throat.

"ENOUGH!" She roared. Allen jumped away from her in Lavi's arms. Lavi himself seemed to be shaking in his skin. Fou smiled sweetly. _Jeez, that whole smile-sweetly-even-though-I'm-angry-at-you Allen thing is really going around...and it's really creepy. _Lavi thought. He then noticed Allen, who was clinging to him. More importantly, the icing that was on his cheek. Oh how tempting it looked. Fou predicted Lavi's next move and quickly turned her phone on snapshot. Right when Lavi licked Allen's cheek, she clicked the button. She even caught the blush afterwards!

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Allen rubbed his cheek and looked at Lavi annoyingly. Lavi just gave his best friend a cheeky grin.

"So, Narain, you told them right?" Fou smiled mischievously. Lavi somewhat didn't like the look on her face, but then again, it usually had to deal with him and Allen that also included some contact that Lavi and Allen wanted, so he was unsure of whether to be scared or not.

"Tell us about what?" Lavi asked. Fou glared at Narain. Narain threw his hands up.

"Hey, Lavi just got here. I told Allen-" Narain started until Allen interrupted him.

"Wait, how _did _you get here?" Allen asked.

"Well, since _someone _wouldn't answer their phone, I had to get Tyki to drive me home. And then when he dropped me off, Neah pulled in. Do you _know _how awkward that long drive with my ex was?" Lavi asked Allen accusingly. Allen looked really guilty at that.

"I...didn't notice you called...s-sorry...wait..." Allen said slowly and looked at Lavi curiously. "Tyki is your ex?"

"Yup! I never told you? I thought I had...hmm."

Okay, now _that _made things awkward.

Allen was silent for a really long time. Fou cleared her throat. "As I was saying, Lavi, Allen, get ready." Fou piped up and handed Allen a bag of clothes. "You are not wearing one of your little collared shirts tonight. You're wearing what I picked out for you." Fou said and Allen peeked in the bag.

"I don't get what's wrong with my clothes..." Allen pouted.

"You don't look as sexy, that's what." Fou answered. Allen gaped like a fish. He couldn't even respond. The only thing he could do was blush.

"D-don't call me that...it makes me feel...uncomfortable." Allen mumbled. "I'm all messy too...so is Lavi..."

"Then go take a shower." Fou shooed him off. She turned on Lavi and shoved a bag in his hands. "Don't think you're getting off so easy. Go take a shower and put that on. Now." She demanded. Lavi scurried out the door in an instant. Fou sighed and looked down at her light lavender dress. She really didn't want to dress up either, but Bak said she looked delightful in the dress...if only she could get Allen in a dress...she grumbled and sat down on the couch. Bak joined her. Neah and Narain stood there awkwardly.

Half an hour later, Allen came down the stairs embarrassingly. The outfit Fou picked out felt...a bit tight. He wore dark red skinny jeans that _hugged _his thighs and white knee-high boots. His shirt was also white and silky. He had a small jacket that came up to his elbows. Luckily, the white shirt was long sleeves. And of course, he topped it off with the gloves. "I feel awkward..." Allen stated honestly as Fou checked him out. Now she just had to wait for Lavi. As if on cue, Lavi walked in. The most awkward thing ever...Allen and Lavi's outfits' colors were switched, but Lavi was wearing the same thing.

"You've got to be kidding me."

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**Kekekekekeke Cliffy! I know I shouldn't leave you guys hanging like this, especially because of what happened with me not updating at all. Just...enjoy it or whatever. I'll definitely update soon, I don't know how soon since Mike hates the keyboard, but soon ^^ My sister ain't here either, so she can't hog the computer! That's my job! Heh, well, I hope you guys enjoyed the long awaited chapter. Thanks to all 45 voters out there! Special thanks to all my reviewers! Hell yes. I. Got. New. Reviewers. I'm. So. Freaking. Happy. Anyways, thanks to: Shirubagure, xXxPhantomxXx, ellarockabella, smileysparklea, MintGreenn, Snipperita (I guess because I'm getting emails from FFN o.o), NoName-chan (I blame you for getting me sick. Y-you s-stopped talking to me! -bawls- you traitor! -sniffles-), Usagi-Twins, Kinue, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, bookspazz55, Sparkle-de-Cat, Lavi Bookman 2, Guesty Guest, the3leonine, Moyashi-Kun06. I apologize for saying legit so much. It's just one of my favorite words, as well as yo and oi and meow and others that are most likely posted on my profile xD I really thought it was hilarious how most of you reacted to my creepy face xD You guys are cute lol. Until then! -magically disappears in an explosion of sparkles and Tease-*cough* butterflies *cough*-**


	39. Chapter 39

**I was trying to get the date in as a separate chapter but as you can see that didn't work out too well and I had to smash the party and replace it with the date. I might put in the party later if I can. Seriously, I apologize. I was distracted once again...for one, we had a Halloween party Tuesday and then yesterday I stayed in bed all day playing Pokemon Emerald. Yes, I apologize greatly...it's my addiction...but I did type some of this in my phone so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes at all! ^^ Wow, this AN was surprisingly short. Hope you all have fun trick-or-treating! I can't because it's raining...I hope it stops in the next half hour (unlikely)...and if you don't...well then you obviously are lazy or you don't like candy or you're not allowed. My costume is on my dA (Username: ElviraRayne) if you guys wanna see it.**

* * *

"F-Fou...I don't think this is a great idea..." Allen mumbled, suddenly feeling insecure while Fou was recklessly driving them to a nice restaurant.

Allen was surprised Lavi actually went on the date with him. Then, realization struck him. _We're going on a date together..._Allen mildly blushed and stared out the window, trying to ignore the presence beside him. He stared at his reflection in the window and twirled a piece of his white hair, saddened by it. _I guess it's never going to change back to brown after all...I hope people don't stare at them because of the way I look..._Allen thought miserably. Why couldn't he look like anybody else here? Everyone was silent when they saw Allen's slight look of shame. He leaned his white head against the window. He really felt like he was going to throw up from the butterflies buzzing around wildly in his stomach. Just when he was about to doze off, he felt Lavi put his right hand over Allen's left. A blush ghosted on his cheeks, but he still dozed off anyways. Allen woke up a little while later and quickly noticed that they were _still_ in the car. He was leaning against the window and paused in his thoughts when he felt a weight on his shoulder shift. Allen lazily looked to his left.

Lavi was laying on him.

Before Fou woud notice he was awake, Allen leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes like he would be sleeping. _Lavi's just tired..._Allen thought to himself and accepted Lavi's rest on him. He heard Lavi mumbled something in his sleep and glanced sideways at Lavi to see him snuggling into his shoulder-left shoulder at that. Allen inwardly shook his head and closed his eyes again to go back to sleep. Sooner than later, rest overtook him.

They were woken up later when they _finally _arrived to the restaurant they were eating at. Lavi had been the first to wake up and shamelessly took his head off Allen's shoulder to stretch. Allen heard Lavi's loud and relieving sigh and opened his eyes. He looked through them and looked at Fou while rubbing his eye.

"...we there yet?" He mumbled sleepily.

"You guys are so cute! Wearing the exact same outfit and acting like that!" Fou gushed.

"Same? Fou, our colors are flip flopped." Allen informed. She shrugged them off.

"They still match." She answered. Allen looked at the restaurant they were at. It was some sort of widespread Asian buffet that had food from all around Asia. Allen could see why they wanted to be here, but it was nearly out of the state. Allen really didn't want to walk in there, especially because of what he was wearing. Fou saw the hesitating look in Allen's eyes. "Oh no, you're not leaving here. Come on, no one will know you guys here and they never will." Fou reasoned.

"How do you-" Allen started.

"Oh for the love of God!" Fou grabbed Allen's arms and started dragging him in. He did like buffets...he just didn't want to be seen at a buffet matching Lavi's outfit. They had a waiter escort them to a table and they all sat down. She smiled at them all.

"Hello, my name is Elda, I will be your waiter today." The blonde haired girl smiled at them, she had deep blue eyes and a bang that stayed in the front of her face. Her smile died when she saw Lavi. Lavi just waved and winked. _Great. They know each other..._Fou sighed before clearing her throat. "Right, what will you all have to drink today?"

"Pepsi." Both Fou and Bak said together.

"Eh, I'll have anything." Lavi said.

"Sweet tea." Allen replied lamely. Elda nodded, not sparing any of them a glance. She handed out menus, mainly for just seeing what kind of food they have and what sections they're in, before walking off. Allen rested against the seat and closed his eyes, still tired from the ride.

"You know her, don't you?" Fou asked Lavi. Allen peeked open an eye at them.

"Maybe." Lavi replied and tapped his fingers against the table in a bored fashion.

"Looky here, Lavi, you're on a date with Allen, so you can't be flirting with other people." Fou said directly. Lavi blinked and they all looked over at Allen.

"Hn, like I expected anything less." Allen replied and looked around the restaurant to see where their waiter went. Lavi felt a bit appalled that Allen would think that he flirted with people while he was on dates...but then again...he really did. Allen took a look at his menu. Elda came over, served their drinks, asked if they needed anything, and then left. Allen was sipping his tea out of his straw. He browsed through the lists of food that was in the buffet.

"You know, Allen, I thought you'd be more excited to go on a date with Lavi..." Fou said suspiciously.

"Hn." He simply replied sipping at his tea some more. Lavi just shrugged.

"Probably because Lavi's fuck buddy is the waitress." She scowled, causing Allen to spit his drink and choke. He started to cough. Lavi stared wide-eyed at Fou before chuckling at Allen's little coughing fit.

"C-can we please have some decency here? We _are_ in a restaurant." Allen muttered, coughing a bit.

"Sorry, Allen. Ex-girlfriend. Better?" She asked. The waitress returned decided then to return.

"Okay, you guys can get your food now." She took the 'menus' and walked off.

They all walked to the buffet and piled their plates up with food. Fou was glad the chose a buffet as she watched Allen pile plates among plates up. He wasn't at all feeling bad about someone else paying for him for the first time. At a buffet, Allen could truly eat however much he wanted without holding back. Of course, he did bring his own wallet if they expected him to pay. Allen was the first to be back to his seat and start gobbling down his food. The others came back later when Allen was on his third plate. They all sweat dropped. How could he have such great manners while eating so quickly? After destroying his sixth plate of food, Allen relaxed against the seat.

"You know, Allen, your next boyfriend might hesitate to take you out in public." Fou commented. Allen shrugged.

"Whoever said I was going to get one? And besides, I only eat like this when I go to a buffet. It's cheaper to go to a buffet." Allen replied as he dug food out of his teeth with a toothpick. Fou blinked and glanced at Lavi, who seemed to be concentrating on something. Allen sipped at his tea.

"Surely there has to be someone you love?" Fou asked and watched with amusement as Lavi's concentration hardened.

"What's that got to do with anything? As you probably know from experience, it takes two people in love to have a fully functioning relationship." Allen replied smartly.

"Are you saying the person you love doesn't love you back?" Fou asked.

"Not necessarily." Allen answered. _He's dodging my questions quite skillfully..._Fou thought, her interest piqued.

"Uhuh." She mumbled, using her chopsticks to eat her food. Lavi was entertaining himself with his own chopsticks.

"Do you think you can eat ice cream with chopsticks?" Lavi asked, his eye showing great curiosity.

"Dude, what the hell, Lavi? We're on a date and all you can think about is how to eat your food? And what the hell? Ice cream and chopsticks?" Fou was sincerely worried for her friend now.

"Oh, don't be a sourpuss, Fou." Lavi answered. "Maybe if I...hmm...I'll be right back." Lavi mumbled to himself and scurried off. Fou watched as he bumped into Elda and started flirting with her.

"Your date is flirting with someone else." Fou growled to Allen. Allen shrugged, it was expected and he didn't even care anymore.

Lavi showed no curiosity into their conversation about Allen's next boyfriend so he obviously wasn't interested in Allen's love. Allen was fine with being friends with Lavi and basically treated him like a spoiled kid, giving him anything he wanted. Of course Allen loved Lavi, but it wasn't as if Lavi loved him back anyhow. He could go out with whoever he wanted, it wasn't like they were dating or anything. Allen was a little hurt by Lavi's actions, but he wouldn't say anything to give himself away-he didn't want to end up ruining their friendship. He was too precious to him.

"The hell if I care." Allen replied, somewhat bitterly. Fou grumbled as she glared at Lavi. _How dare him make Allen feel this way!_ She thought. Lavi returned later with an ice cream cone.

"Okay, watch this." Lavi said, grinning. Seeing Lavi with ice cream, only made Allen want some. Lavi picked up his chopsticks and successfully grabbed the cone with them. Fou raised her eyebrows, impressed...and then the ice cream fell on his wrist. "Aw, man." Lavi pouted and put the cone on his plate. He started licking at his wrist to get the ice cream off. Fou laughed at his failure and Allen sighed.

"Will you please use a napkin?" Allen asked. Lavi shrugged.

"Nah." He replied and Allen rolled his eyes.

"Yo, dudes, I'm gonna go get some ice cream too, ya want any, Allen?...never mind that was a stupid question, I'll be right back." Fou slid out of the cushioned chair and over to the ice cream machine. She got vanilla cones for her and Allen and then jogged back over to their table. She gave Allen one and sat down with her own. Thinking of the tasty frozen treat reminded Lavi of the first time Allen moved in and was eating that Popsicle. He shook his head and smiled, remembering how Kanda was also watching Allen.

"What the hell are you thinking about?" Fou asked, interested.

"Oh nothing, just the first time Allen moved in." Lavi informed. Allen gave Lavi a puzzled look and looked at Fou. Fou gave a huge shrug.

"What does that have anything to do with this?" Fou asked.

"Probably nothing." Allen replied as he licked his ice cream. Lavi watched him closely.

"...if only you knew..." Lavi mumbled as he watched the white haired teen. Bak and Fou finished their meals shortly after and asked Elda to bring over some carry-out boxes. She nodded and left, returning with a few boxes. Bak and Fou piled their food into the boxes.

"Right! So where do you guys want to go now?" Fou asked. Allen looked at her confusingly. Fou rolled her eyes.

"But I thought you said-" Allen started.

"I said we were going on a double date. I never said what all we were doing. Besides, there's supposed to be a Halloween festival today." She replied.

"...oh..." Allen softly murmured. Lavi looked down at Allen as he bit down on his cone and munched on it before eating the rest of it. They paid the bill (Fou and Bak did since it was their idea) and started leaving the restaurant when Elda came rushing over.

"Oh, hey, Lavi!" Elda called as she ran over.

"Hm?" Lavi asked.

"I was wondering if maybe...are you doing anything tonight?" Elda asked hopefully. Fou glared at her and she flinched.

"He has a date to attend to. Fuck off." Fou scowled and started dragging Lavi and Allen out of the restaurant.

"...that wasn't very nice, Fou..." Allen said softly, knowing that her temper could change dramatically when she was angry and he didn't want to anger her even more.

"Yeah, you didn't have to be so harsh." Lavi said, frowning at her. Fou spun on her heel and lifted Lavi up by his shirt, giving him the most evil look she could muster...which was pretty freaking scary. Lavi felt his whole body pale at how angry she looked.

"Harsh? Me, harsh? Have you looked in the mirror lately, asshole?" She scowled. She was truly angry at Lavi for ignoring Allen so much. She could see how much they cared for each other, so why can't Lavi just realize that already and go out with Allen. Did he not see the longing look deep down in Allen's eyes? Was she the only one who could see it? She felt Allen put his hand softly on her arm.

"Fou. Calm down." He said soothingly. She didn't know _why. _But she felt a rush of calmness set over and dropped Lavi. She looked at Allen with a pained look. Allen mistook it and thought she was upset because he didn't side with her. "Ah...I'm sorry..." Allen averted his gaze. Fou gave him a sad smile and ruffled his hair.

"No, thank you, Allen. Sorry, Lavi." Fou gave him an apologetic smile. She couldn't let her feelings about the two get to her and fuck everything they had up. They were taking themselves at their own pace. Lavi was amazed. He never thought that Fou could apologize to him. She looked truly angry and Allen calmed her down with one touch. He was a bit confused though. What was this about him being an asshole? What was he doing wrong? He looked over at Allen, who was hopping in the car. He followed after and hopped in the other side. Fou hopped in and turned the radio. She started driving off just as Bak hopped in the car. He didn't have any time to close his door and nearly fell out.

"S-slow down! The festival isn't going to run away or anything!" Bak huffed as he desperately closed his door. Allen giggled and Lavi laughed. Fou shrugged.

"Hey, the faster we get there, the more time we have." She said, grinning. They all rolled their eyes. Allen started thinking about Fou's actions earlier ago. The only reason she would've pulled a stunt like that is because Allen or Bak was hurt. When she was talking about Lavi...could she maybe have been talking about him being an asshole to Allen? Allen didn't think so. He was just happy Lavi was his friend. If the Akuma Gang got anymore involved with him, he had a feeling that he couldn't bare to be Lavi's friend to endanger him.

_Secret love, my escape  
__Take me far, far away  
__Secret love, are you there?  
__Will you answer my prayer?  
__Please take me anywhere but here_

Allen hummed along with the radio. He really liked this song. He felt Lavi's eyes on him as he laid his head on the window. He tried his best to ignore the red head's stare and blushed lightly. He stopped humming and glanced over at Lavi. Lavi instantly looked away and blushed, realizing that Allen caught him staring at him. Allen closed his eyes and rested his head against the window. Fou was extremely disappointed. She wanted to see some love in the air with those two and add to her collection of pictures...she could only see higher than their torso. Bak didn't seem very interested and thought the scenery was much more interesting than Fou's antics. What Fou didn't see, was Lavi's hand over Allen's. She did notice a slight blush on Allen's face though. _Probably from Lavi staring at him earlier. _Fou thought amusingly.

Allen felt Lavi's hand squeeze his own gently as he interlaced their fingers together. Oh what Allen would do to be able to squeeze Lavi's hand back. Lavi was such a tease to him. He was so close to him he was completely in reach...but somehow, he felt so far away from Allen. Allen bravely squeezed Lavi's hand back, hoping Lavi wouldn't take it the wrong way. He felt accepted all over again since Lavi was holding his left hand. If only they could do this more often...Lavi blushed a little and looked out the window as well. He didn't know why Allen made him feel this way. Why did Allen make him want to kiss him more than any other girl he's ever kissed before? Lavi didn't know why he had such strong urges when it came to Allen.

The best part was that Allen let him do it.

He didn't know why Allen let him do all those things to him...perhaps he enjoyed it. Lavi would never know, but he was somewhat happy that Allen would let him do what he wanted. It was an odd friendship they had with each other...but it was something at least. Lavi didn't know what he would do without Allen truthfully. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to actually he loved Allen...but he was pretty close to it. What he was really curious about though, was Allen's feelings. He wanted to know how Allen felt about him. He obviously reacted with Lavi and usually kissed him back...so what did he think?

"We're here!" Fou exclaimed excitedly. Allen jumped and hit his head on the window. He mumbled a small 'ow' as Lavi laughed at him. After getting out of the car, Allen's hand felt so...empty. He wanted to join their hands again, his hand was cold. Too cold for him to take. He was even wearing gloves. Lavi looked around the fair grounds as Bak ran to go pay for tickets. Lavi and Allen walked into the fairgrounds with Fou. Bak returned later and they both turned to see an evil smirk on Fou's face.

"What's that look for?" Allen asked cautiously.

"Oh, I just have an awesome idea." Fou informed. "And you're _going _to comply whether you like it or not. Bak and I have paid for everything...so it's about time you do something for me." She said, smiling evilly. Allen opened his mouth but closed it. She did have a pretty good point. Allen felt a little guilty for making them pay. "Don't make that face, Allen, this was all a part of my plan. Now, the first thing you two should do is hold hands." Fou instructed. Allen tried to say something. _Anything. _"No ifs, ands, or buts." Fou said precisely. Lavi, almost hesitatingly, grabbed Allen's hand. "Good!" Allen blushed. "Now, the next thing you two should do is...go in there!" She said brightly, pointing to a haunted house. Allen paled to the point Lavi thought he was going to pass out.

"...b-but...I...oh God..." Allen muttered hoarsely. Lavi felt somewhat sorry for the kid.

"Oh, and Lavi, no flirting." Fou said shortly. Lavi rolled his eyes. Fou started pushing them down the crowds of people and forced them into the haunted house after giving the employee a ticket. The employee stared at Fou oddly. "Trying to get them to hook up." She explained. She grinned at the man. He wore a tan hoodie with the hood up and bandages were wrapped around his mouth. Fou offered her hand. "The names Fou. You?" She asked.

"Toma." He replied, shaking her hand. She smiled at him.

"Say, do you have any...ah, video footage?"

Fou was a very sly, sly, girl.

Meanwhile, in the tent...house..._thing..._

"Jesus, Allen, would you loosen your grip?" Lavi asked as Allen clung to his arm in fear.

"I-I-I-I c-can't!" Allen stuttered like his Freshman self four years ago. Lavi really felt bad for him now. A ghost popped out and he felt the boy jump and hold back a scream. Allen hid behind Lavi's shoulder, afraid of what else would happen. Lavi could feel Allen's warmth radiating on his shoulder.

"Dude, just calm down. It's not like you're gonna die or anything." Lavi laughed.

"Lavi, p-please don't j-jinx me..." Allen begged with honest eyes. _He's truly scared._ Lavi thought amusingly. They passed through a hall of mirrors and right when they turned around the corner, an employee in a bloody scream mask popped around the corner. Lavi was pretty sure that employee would _never _work here again.

Allen clocked him in the face.

Lavi face palmed and winced as the employee held his nose. "Ow, what the fuck, man?!" He exclaimed...it sounded oddly familiar. Lavi couldn't help but burst out in laughter.

"Dude, Daisya, is that you?!" Lavi exclaimed. The mask was taken off to show Daisya Barry, who had a bloody nose.

"S-s-sorry...y-you scared m-me..." Allen apologized softly.

"Obviously! FUCK! Damn, that fucking hurts! Who taught you how to punch?" Daisya asked, throwing his head back as he clutched his nose. "I _better _be getting paid double for this." Daisya growled as he glared at an unseen camera.

"...you know...if you do that...it's p-possible that you c-can drown in your own blood." Allen informed. Daisya leaned forward and blood dripped on the floor. Allen hid behind Lavi.

"Jesus Christ." Daisya muttered. "Why the fuck did you bring him in here?" Daisya asked, glaring at Lavi pointedly.

"Hey, we were forced to come in here." Lavi explained.

"Were you also forced to wear matching outfits?" Daisya asked. Allen blushed deeply and looked away.

"Actually, yes."

"Really? Who did that?" Daisya asked and was relieved that his nose had finally stopped bleeding.

"Her name is Fou." Lavi answered. "She's a bit...obsessed with Allen and I. Well, we should probably go now..." Lavi wondered aloud. Allen nodded, anxious to get out of the house. Daisya offered to escort Allen and Lavi out, seeing as Allen nearly clocked everyone that popped out at him there. He squeaked a few times too and there wasn't a time Daisya didn't see him near Lavi, using him as protection. When they were finally out, Daisya brought out a different subject.

"Dude, when's the party?" Daisya asked.

"Next Friday." Lavi answered immediately.

"Great, can't wait!" Daisya fist pumped the air before sending Allen off. They walked towards Fou and Bak, who were waiting by the exit.

"Dude, I can't believe you knocked that guy in the face." Fou said disbelievingly. Allen blushed.

"How do you know about that?" Lavi asked curiously.

"I have my ways." Fou said, smirking. She looked around and pointed to the most romantic things she could find: The Ferris Wheel. Fou immediately pointed to the ride. Allen didn't realize how dark it was until he saw the brightly colored wheel of 'love'. Allen looked up at the very _high _ride.

"...I dunno..." He mumbled. Fou shoved him.

"Just go!"

And so Lavi and Allen walked down the path, hand in hand.

* * *

**Party will most likely be tomorrow -bows head- I wanted to make this on Halloween but...my Halloween was ruined by rain anyways XD So my Halloween will be on November 2nd...yeah...and tomorrow I have a football game so don't get your hopes up...so yeah. Ending it here because I'm so disappointed in myself. -crawls into a box and plays Pokemon Emerald alone, talking to Tease and a very creepy Tyki-  
****Tyki: Hey...when can I come in...? I'm not that creepy.  
****Vira: -gives Tyki a look-  
****Tyki: Okay...maybe just a little, so what's Allen doing right now?  
Vira: My point exactly. -pets Tease- I shall name you...Mai  
Tyki: That's a boy.  
Vira: How the hell do you know?!  
Tyki: Cause he's mine.  
Vira: -mumbles- not anymore. His name is...Maeo. Better?  
Tyki:...  
Yeah, I'm that bored. Anyways...thank you to my reviewers and new voter for the poll! I love you guys so much xD Thank you Shirubagure (Yeah, I'm not a Lucky fan either, but you've got to admit Tyki's hot. xD)-  
Tyki: -smirks- I heard that  
Vira:...-  
midnightstardust, Lyokni, Snipperita, smileysparklea, Kinue, NinthAvenue, KamenAkuma, xXxPhantomxXx, NoName-chan, bookspazz55, MintGreenn, Toph Hitsugaya, CsillaDream, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad (perhaps you'd like to join me too in this cozy box I've made for Tyki, Tease, and I?), the3leonine, Nami Heartfilia, Guest, lovin laven, Guesty Guest, and The Amazing Emiko-chan for reviewing! I appreciate every review I get, honest. And I feel bad to let you all down TT_TT**


	40. Chapter 40

**Reason for not updating: I couldn't get on the computer. I was actually stuck sleeping in bed all week and Halloween was cancelled yet again. I have a feeling we won't be celebrating it this year -sigh- and next year I'll literally be considered an adult. Great. I don't wanna grow up! D: I probably never will anyways...I wonder if I should start writing M's next year...hmm...awkward topic there xD But yeah, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 40! Woot! I'm so happy. Lalalala~ *sings* Thanks to all my voters! I'm just kinda restless now...onward to the next chapter! -Disappears in a glitter poof and only Tease are left behind- Now everyone run for your lives! -says from thin air and starts laughing maniacally- **

* * *

Allen paused in walking forward to get on the Ferris Wheel as he looked up at how high up it was. He'd been on one before with Mana when he was younger...but the Ferris Wheel didn't seem so big to him then. Did he ride a mini Ferris Wheel or something? This one was _huge! _Lavi squeezed his hand and Allen looked down from the Ferris Wheel at Lavi, who was giving him a reassuring smile. Allen smiled a little back at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. The employee gushed at them before sending them inside and closing the door to the wheel behind them. It was one of those advanced Ferris Wheels where there was no need for a bar on your legs. It moved up one more time to let the last couple on. Lavi and Allen sat across from each other for now. Allen felt a little nervous as it started moving really high up. Lavi seemed to marvel the festival lights in awe. Allen couldn't help but look down and instantly regretted in. He really felt nauseous now.

"Don't tell me. You're afraid of heights too?" Lavi guessed. Allen bit his lip and blushed. He felt like such a little schoolgirl right now. This was a classy romantic date in one of those manga where they hold hands and look down at the lights and then they kiss and say 'I love you' to each other and it was all sappy.

Allen wasn't a sappy person though.

He always thought about how bad things could turn out if he had ever been involved in a relationship or if he went out on a date-like right now for example. If he continued to hang out with Lavi like this, the Akuma Gang would catch on and use Lavi as a target to get to him. Not only that, Allen was a little sure that Lavi didn't like him as much as Allen did. Lavi was a womanizer, and was probably used to all of this by now and just reacted by instinct. What was he supposed to do about that? He wasn't experienced with any of this stuff because he wasn't taken out on dates a lot. By now, Allen's head was swimming in panic. He didn't even realize that Lavi had sat down next to him and watched him mentally freak out.

Allen stopped freaking out when he felt warm.

He relaxed his shoulders and eased into the warmth. He heard a chuckle above him and looked up at Lavi. Lavi was hugging him. Now Allen was really embarrassed for freaking out like he did. Lavi could read people very easily because of him being Bookman's grandson. Allen knew that he could read people, yet he still freaked out about everything. Allen sighed and laid against Lavi's chest, extremely embarrassed. Lavi just smiled and held Allen's hand in his own. Then, a curious question hit Allen hard.

Was Lavi a 'Sappy Romantic?'

It almost seemed like he was the way their date had been going. Keyword being: almost. He held hands with Allen in the car even though Fou wouldn't be able to see whether they were doing it or not, he acted stupid whenever they were in the restaurant-but he did flirt with a girl, which threw Allen's prediction a little off, but he held hands with him during the festival, even when couldn't see them (or could she?), he even comforted him whenever they were in the Haunted House and let him stay behind him. Wouldn't guy friends want to scare their friends if they were in a Haunted House? And like now, Lavi was hugging and holding hands with him...on a _Ferris Wheel. _This concluded that Lavi just might be a Sappy Romantic. Allen knew he couldn't as him straight up about it...maybe if he asked...Allen's thoughts were cut short when he found himself looking into Lavi's single green eye. Lavi was tilting his chin upwards and nearing closer and closer to him.

Lavi kissed Allen.

Allen's mind had completely been thrown off the 'Sappy Romantic' topic when he felt Lavi's lips on his own. Their kiss was gentle and soft and that was it. Just a simple peck...until Allen kissed back. It was like Lavi would wait for Allen's permission before deepening their kiss further. Allen found it a lot easier now to kiss Lavi. He remembered when he first kissed Lavi, Lavi would be too intimate and it would also be very hard to keep up with him. Now it almost seemed like they were going at a _slow _pace. It certainly couldn't have been slow the way Lavi was rubbing up on him (not like that, get your mind out of the gutter for a second, will ya?). Allen found that instead of in their hugging, Allen was pressed against the glass wall with the back of his hands also pressed along with his body. His hands were still entwined with Lavi's, but Lavi across the seat, kissing him.

Allen hadn't even noticed that the Ferris Wheel had stopped at the high peak of the circle.

Lavi had made it his job to distract Allen while they stopped. He didn't want Allen have a major emotional breakdown because he was too terrified to even look at him. Lavi's job was working perfectly and Allen didn't even seem to mind the position Lavi put him in. He was more focused with being in time with Lavi's lips. _Okay, maybe the whole manga thing wasn't accurate because I'm pretty sure the kisses didn't go this far. _Allen thought a bit humorously. Lavi had slowed their kiss down when the Ferris Wheel moved a little again. It stopped and he didn't even need to deepen the kiss again because Allen already had.

Allen knew it was reckless to deepen the kiss, since it was always only Lavi doing it, but he wanted to get his mind off the whole Ferris Well Height thing. He wanted to feel Lavi's lips on his own because he felt like soon, their love would only end up as a forbidden love tragedy. What he and Lavi had, Allen thought wouldn't last very long. Lavi always had his eyes on a lot of other women, and Allen knew that beyond all those women, Lavi's soul-mate laid there, waiting for him to find her/him. Allen needed to get his mind off this as well. He didn't want to think that everything would be over soon and that they wouldn't be able to kiss each other again.

Allen just wanted to forget all of that.

What he really wanted was to indulge in Lavi's feelings, to get him to love him no matter what the circumstances. He wanted to get the Akuma Gang wiped out and have his own Happily Ever After. He wanted to live his life with Lavi and he really just wanted to be accepted by society. He knew that maybe a little of his wishes might come true, but most of them would probably be destroyed. Even so, if these wishes couldn't come true, he could always rely on one of his most precious wishes: To stay Lavi's friend until the end. No matter what-well, unless the Akuma Gang kill him before then...wow. His life was really hateful, wasn't it? Lavi noticed that Allen had slowly started to stop their make-out session and retreated away from the kiss to give Allen a puzzled expression. Allen just stared blankly past Lavi. Lavi waved a hand in front of Allen's face.

No response.

To get a good response from him, and knock him out of the state he was in, Lavi kissed him roughly. Allen's eyes widened and he snapped out of his thoughts. He was so surprised he could literally not keep up with Lavi's lips. What had caused him to get so...desperate? Allen could barely make time to talk to him "Mmph-Lavi...what...are you...doing?" He asked through many kisses. Lavi smirked, knowing that he finally caught Allen's attention. He lingered on Allen's lips a bit longer before releasing him.

"Sorry, you spaced out and I didn't know how to snap you out of it." Lavi replied.

"You could've just shook me or something..." Allen mumbled, blushing as he felt his lips with his gloved fingertips. He looked away from Lavi out the window at the many bright lights.

They were finally letting people off the Ferris Wheel and their turn was up in about six more rounds. Lavi pouted at the lack of attention and looked down at Allen's empty hand. He mindlessly entwined their fingers together-something he had been doing a lot lately. Allen blushed and squeezed his hand back. Lavi chuckled and planted a firm kiss on Allen's cheek. The whole scenario made Allen's face light up red. They finally got off and Allen was still blushing. The employee actually asked to take a picture of them and asked if they were a couple. Allen couldn't even answer anymore. What was this the sixth time already? Lavi led him happily over to where Fou and Bak were eating Cotton Candy together. She smiled at Allen's blush and Lavi's cheerfulness. She wiggled her eyebrows at them.

"So how was it?" She asked.

"Scary." Allen replied flatly, urging his blush to go down. Lavi chuckled and ruffled the younger's hair.

"I managed to keep his mind off of it though." Lavi added. Allen's face shown even brighter and he looked away from the cheerful redhead. Fou laughed and ruffled Allen's hair.

"Lovely." Fou replied, grinning. "So about this party on Friday, where's it going to be at?" Fou asked, making conversation as they headed for the car to leave. The rest of the rides/activities dealt with scaring the hell out of people and Fou was pretty sure she didn't want to be kicked out from Allen punching every scary employee he saw in the face.

"I didn't tell you about it...or at least I didn't think I did...did I?" Lavi asked.

"Eh, how should I know? But anyways, what's this about costumes?" Fou asked. Lavi's face lit up as he remembered his idea from awhile back for his theme.

"Well. I have an idea for Me, Lenalee, Kanda, Allen, and Narain. You can join in too if you want." Lavi informed. Allen looked completely puzzled but just shook his head, deciding that he really didn't care anymore. Fou's face brightened.

"Oh? And what's this idea?" She asked curiously. Lavi leaned in and whispered. She had a minor nosebleed and stuffed some handy tissues up her nose. Lavi gave her an amused look. "Oh hell yeah I'll take part in it." She said with a clogged nose. Allen stared at her worriedly.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm better than alright. I'm fantastic." She replied and whispered the idea in Bak's ear. He face palmed and agreed to go with it because everyone else was going with it.

"Awesome! Daisya's joining in too if he comes to the party. I'm not sure how many other people will join in though. This is so exciting. Allen, I'm picking your costume out and you can't say no, alright?" Lavi confirmed.

"Wait, don't I get any say in this?" Allen asked, somewhat nervous about Lavi's idea.

"Nope." Both Fou and Lavi replied. Allen sweat dropped he had a really bad feeling about this.

"...as long as I don't have to wear anything showy I guess I'll be fine..." He mumbled as he hopped in the backseat of the vehicle. Lavi and Fou were grinning foolishly to themselves.

Allen was more than just nervous.

* * *

The week went by slowly, thankfully for Allen, and today was the day of the party. The redhead and whitette were currently seen in HQ serving guests who were making many compliments to the employees and the manager about the decorations and costumes. Allen felt so horrible whenever he scared someone who hated clowns away. Who could be scared of clowns? He under stood that he looked scary right now, but clowns in general? It just made him feel really bad. Especially since Mana used to be a clown. He felt like he was dishonoring him somehow...somehow...

Lavi's mood had bumped up times twenty and Allen was starting to feel just a little annoyed around the excited rabbit. He could finally leave Lavi when he had to go in the kitchen and cook. Allen and the rest of the cooks had to be very careful not to get any pieces of their costumes such as fur or face paint in their food and vice versa. Their outfits were really expensive after all. Allen's costume was a pure white coat that had fluffs around the hood and three portions of it was hanging down on his back. When he had the silver mask off, there was clown face paint and his hair was slicked back out of his face. Everyone thought his white hair just went with the outfit and kept asking if it was dyed. Allen didn't mind though. If he was to take off the coat, a 'bloodied' clown outfit would be seen under it.

Allen sighed in relief, not being bugged by Lavi for awhile. He was on waiting duty today instead of dish duty. He did pop in from time to time though to say how awesome Allen looked. Some of the other chefs were actually impressed as well since he managed to not get any of his costume in the food or any food on his costume. They watched him closely from time to time too. At first, Allen thought they were giving him suspicious looks since he was so involved with the Akuma Gang as Lavi told him they were inspectors for the gang, but he came to notice that they were just watching his movements and studying how he cooked. He put one of the last main dishes on the carry-out tray and started on the desserts. He looked at the time and actually started feeling nervous about Lavi's party. What was his costume going to be?

To get his mind off his uneasy feelings, he started humming a little tune as he worked. He didn't sing though, not wanting to disrupt his coworkers. As he hummed, he noticed that everyone had literally started staring at him. He paused in his work and looked at his coworkers, who were still staring at him. Then he stopped humming and they all blinked before returning to work. Allen was a bit confused but started working again. He hummed again as he started spreading whipped cream on some pumpkin pie. He sprinkled some cinnamon on top and put it on the plate on the tray. Everyone had stopped working again and stared at him.

"Um..." He spoke.

"You're distracting everyone." Tokusa said.

"Yeah, I can see that...I'll stop if it makes you all feel better." Allen mumbled awkwardly and started working on his next dish. The most shocking thing happened next. Link popped up _right beside him. _Allen turned to grab some more ingredients and then he saw Link and let out a less-than-manly shriek, dropping the luckily closed bottle of cinnamon. Tokusa and the other snickered. "Jesus, Link, what are you doing here?!" Allen asked, holding a hand over his heart. "You scared me!"

"Says the guy in a scary clown outfit." Link mumbled.

"Nice costume, Link, it's working." Tokusa picked fun at him. Link rolled his eyes.

"Thanks. I worked hard on it. Anyways, Allen, I'm here to talk to you about something." Link said and grabbed his wrist, dragging him out of the kitchen and into the chef's private office whenever they need to make a call, etc.

"About?" Allen questioned, finding it odd that he had to talk to Link.

"About a month ago or maybe more than that, you were attacked again, weren't you? Do you know anything about the people who attacked you?" Link asked, almost desperately.

"No." Allen said flatly and walked out of the office to continue his work. Link followed him as he started preparing another plate.

"Well, do you know anything that would...like, lure them out?" Link asked. Lavi walked in and was hit by a wave of shock when he saw Link talking to Allen worriedly. _Is something wrong? _Lavi wondered. Allen was barely paying any attention to him and was reaching for a measuring cup on his tip toes. Link grabbed the cup and slammed it softly on the counter. Allen pursed his lips.

"Thanks." He said shortly. "Anyways, I thought the squad already took them away to jail or something like that?" Allen asked as he filled the cup with hot milk he put in the microwave.

"Well..." Link mumbled nervously. "They kinda escaped..." Allen nearly dropped the cup of milk and stared at Link in shock.

"You're kidding, right?!" Allen asked incredulously.

"...no?" Link asked. Allen sighed.

"Well great." Allen replied shortly as he started making things much quicker. That could explain the really bad feeling in his stomach. "No, I have no-" Allen stopped suddenly in his mixing. "Actually, I do have an idea! Okay I'll talk to you...er...how about...um..." Allen searched the kitchen and spotted Lavi. "Lavi! Hold on a minute, Link." Allen ran over to Lavi. "What time is the party over tonight?"

"Hmm, probably around ten, but that doesn't mean you're leaving at ten. You'll most likely be drunk when I'm finished with you." Both Allen and Link, who followed Allen over gave him unnerved looks.

"Um...why would you want to get me drunk first off?" Allen asked.

"Because you're wearing a-" Lavi stopped himself. "...because." He reasoned. "Anyways, why's your ex here?" Lavi asked, gesturing to Link.

"My ex-oh...you mean Link...right...um...uh..." _Crap, I never told him we weren't really dating! I can't tell him that the people they caught escaped either because he probably doesn't know what went down! I think...oh God, I'm screwed..._ "Uh...well...er..."

"Allen and I haven't talked in awhile and I figured we could catch up." Link supplied. Allen gave a major face palm. So much for trying to get Lavi to love him.

"Okay, Link. Hush. Don't talk. Zip!" Allen shushed him. He turned to Lavi and sighed. "It's about...um...ugh! I can't explain this-don't talk." Allen told him. He turned to face Lavi, who had his arms crossed. "We're just friends, I swear." Allen reassured. Link gave Lavi and interesting look.

"Oh, you two are together? I had no idea." Link commented.

"No, we're not together-"

"Then why are you explaining? Oh wait, do you want to be together with Lavi?" Link asked aloud. Allen's face lit up like a furnace and Lavi sent Allen an expectant look as he grinned.

"Wh-wh-what?! I d-didn't s-say that!" Allen stuttered, blushing furiously. Link gave him an amused look. He patted Allen's shoulder.

"Right you didn't. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll call you." Link said and walked out the door. Allen stood there for awhile before giving the most confused look he ever had.

"Wait...how does he know my number?" Allen asked aloud.

"Creepy..." Lavi muttered. "So, our shift ends in like..." Lavi looked at his watch. "Five minutes. Yo chefs, I'm taking your most talented cook out see ya later!" Lavi called and started dragging him out of the kitchen.

"Wait, Lavi! I'm not finished!" They heard him shout from behind the doors. "I haven't even taken my costume off yet!" He complained.

"What, do you need help with that? I'll gladly-"

_Smack. _

Allen smacked Lavi upside the head and glared at him as he blushed furiously. Lavi grinned and rubbed the back of his head humorously. "Chill out, Allen, I was just kidding." Lavi laughed.

"Don't worry, Allen, just make sure you get it to me when you come back!" Anita called from her office.

"Thank you, Miss Anita!" Allen called back and let Lavi drag him to his car. He couldn't remember giving Lavi his keys, but the young man had somehow got a hold of them and started his car. As soon as Allen was in the car, Lavi didn't give him any time to buckle up before speeding off. Allen shouted in panic and hurriedly buckled up. Lavi drove quickly to one of Bookman's fancy houses. Bookman was oddly rich for his age and he had many houses across the country-which is how Lavi got his, Lenalee, and Kanda's house-and he was letting Lavi borrow this one. Lenalee then dragged him out of the car in a Queen of Hearts outfit and shoved him into the house. "H-hold on a min-minute!" Allen stuttered as she pushed a bag in his arms and shoved him in the bathroom.

Half an hour later...

Fou banged on the door of the bathroom. Lenalee was right behind her, excited like never before, and Lavi was grinning. Kanda was leaning against the wall and Daisya also waited in silence along with Kanda. Daisya was the Dinah the cat-Fou, who made all the outfits, forced him to wear brown cat ears and a small tail, but he refused to wear the ribbon angrily. Kanda was the Mad Hatter, who wasn't really acting Mad like crazy, but Mad like angry. Fou was the Cheshire Cat and her grin made it look convincing. Bak was the Caterpillar and Lavi was the White Rabbit, which was quite comical considering that Kanda called him a rabbit all the time. Komui had even dressed up in a King of Hearts costume. The only one missing...was Allen. And he wouldn't come out.

"Oh come on, Allen, come outta there!" Lavi cheered.

"No! I can't believe you guys! I hate you all so much!" He cried out.

"If you don't, I'll have Kanda break the door down~!" Lavi sang.

"NO!" Allen shouted. Fou was grinning like a fool. Daisya was snickering. At least he didn't have it as bad as Allen. Allen was the main character: Alice. And Fou was making him wear a dress, which she informed was quite short. Fou rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Allen, no one's going to make fun of you!" She said.

"Yes they will!" He whined.

"I have brownies!" Fou said temptingly. "And lots of other snacks! Come on Allen, it shouldn't look bad! I made it myself. If you don't come out, you'll hurt my feelings!...I'm not...bad am I?" She asked in a very whiny voice like she was about to cry. Allen was completely quiet.

"...n-no one's going to l-laugh...r-right?" Allen asked.

"No one will laugh. I promise." Fou reassured, half giggling. Allen slowly opened the door and blushed.

Everyone's jaws hit the floor.

* * *

**Kekekekekeke, Cliffy. I bet you all hate me now, huh? SUSPENSE! I have nothing more to say...nothing. I'm gonna get started on the next chapter! ^-^ Your reviews were really interesting xD Thank you to Shirubagure (I was actually thinking about that too haha), NoName-chan (-insert a creepy stalker face more creepier than Tyki's here-), KamenAkuma, Snipperita, Gratsu-dragon (Awe, thank you!), Kinue (that sounds like an interesting costume...did you actually play the ukelele? xD), the3leonine, bookspazz55, spoons-are-evil (that's fine, I've gotten Elv sometimes too xD), Sparkle-De-Human, and XxlovinlavenxX for reviewing! It is very much appreciated! Now vote for the poll! xD Lol jk you don't have to if you don't want to...but I'm pretty sure ya do because the poll is going to base off what my next story is -gives pointed look- Goodbye again! -Disappears in a KABOOM of glitter and only Tease and a killer Tyki remain-  
Tyki: Oh this is going to be fun ;3**


	41. Chapter 41

**I honestly feel so bad for Allen in this chapter. He does look great, he really does...but a bit too many people think so. So yeah, Allen does get molested a bit...I'm so sorry Allen (Allen: *sniffle* 9~9)...but yeah poor Allen. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter because I stayed up all night writing it because my mind was so...full or something. I didn't even know anymore. So I apologize if this chapter seems weird. I was a bit tired while writing it too...I hope you don't mind? Hell, maybe a lot of you will like the way I write when I'm half asleep-but I guess I won't know yet, huh? Still taking suggestions by the way and might I say, I've been getting a lot of lovely ones lately ^-^ Some of them were also what I had thought to begin with too xD Well, enjoy the chapter!  
P.S. I took the style from many different costumes I found on Google...lol...**

* * *

Allen blushed furiously at all their lingering stares. He waited for anyone to say anything. He only blushed deeper when Daisya had started drooling. It was a totally different version than the actual Alice, _that_ was for sure. The dress stopped at his thighs and there was white extra hanging from the bottom of the light blue dress. The apron part of it had red and black diamonds, hearts, and clubs on it. The light blue sleeves were thankfully long and were cuffed to go longer at his wrists. He had silky gloves on; and there was also a white ribbon where the chest area was and a red ribbon tied around Allen's neck. To complete the look, a black silky ribbon sat on the top of his head. As for the lower part of him were thigh high white tights and black no-heel shoes. Allen's hands grasped at the ends of his dress nervously. No one was saying anything...Fou noticed the panicked look on his face.

"You look great, Allen!" She said cheerfully.

"Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly. Lavi, Daisya, and Lenalee nodded their heads stupidly. Allen frowned at them. "A-Are you sure I look okay?" He asked again, not convinced. They all nodded their heads. Lenalee was actally finding herself jealous of Allen's figure. Allen had to turn to someone who would tell him the truth. He walked over to Kanda uncertainly and looked him in the eyes. "I know you won't lie to me, how do I look?" Allen asked seriously. Everyone gave Kanda a warning look. He turned his head to the side, looking away from the matter at hand.

"Che." Allen took it the wrong way and locked himself in the bathroom again. They all groaned and glared at Kanda. He glared right back.

"Come on, Allen, there's no Allen In Wonderland without the Allen!" Lavi whined through the other side of the door.

"Forget it, I'm not coming out!" Allen shouted. Lavi dug in his pocket for the master key and unlocked the door and quickly stepping inside before Allen could stop him.

"Get out!" They heard him shout. Then it grew quiet...too quiet. Fou's inner theater was going nuts and everyone was waiting for any type of noise. Lavi came out of the bathroom with a victorious grin and a blushing Allen following afterwards. They all looked at Lavi like he was some kind of God...except Kanda of course.

"What did you do to make him come out?" Fou asked anxiously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Lavi replied, winking at her. She had a small nosebleed and rushed off to greet the guests.

She had to hand it to Lavi, this place was pretty well decorated. She greeted each guest with a lively spirit and made sure to tell them all-more like threaten-to not make fun of Allen's costume. The twins, who ironically dressed up as tweedle dum and tweedle dee-but a more dark version-were anxious to see Allen's costume. Lavi was really starting to consider making his parties an invite-only when he saw them walk in. Him and Allen were just playing a round of battle shots when they sat on either side of him. Allen had been so entranced in the game that he didn't even notice them.

"Hm...B3." Allen said finally. Lavi sighed in defeat as he got one. Allen grinned victoriously. Until he felt a hand sliding up his thigh and under the skirt of his dress. He froze with wide eyes and didn't move. Thankfully, Tyki was nearby and hit Devit over the head with a magazine that was rolled up. Devit's hand retreated and he whined.

"Ow..." He cried and Jasdero laughed at his brother's pain. He looked up and glared at Tyki. "You're no fun, Tyki." Devit whined.

"Oh? And what do you think Neah would say if he saw you doing that to his nephew?" Tyki asked sternly and they both paled and scurried off. Allen blushed, too embarrassed to even look at Tyki.

Lavi called out a unit and Allen called a miss. Lavi pouted. Allen had changed his sitting position to let his legs bend on either side of him instead of sitting criss cross. Tyki nodded his head and walked off. After they finished their little game, Lavi invited Allen over for a game of Truth or Dare with Fou, Lenalee, Kanda, Daisya, and Bak. Komui was there to make sure none of them dared to touch 'His Queen Lenalee'. Allen felt nervous playing Truth or Dare because of all the previous times before. Kanda didn't even want to play. The first round it landed on Kanda. He spun the bottle and it landed on Lavi. He smirked and Lavi paled.

"Truth or Dare?" Kanda asked with a smirk on his face. Lavi urged himself to calm down and not flip out.

"Dare." He replied bravely. Kanda grumbled, he was hoping that Lavi would choose Truth so that he could ask if he could have a crush on a certain someone.

"I dare you...to slap Komui on the face." Kanda dared. Komui gasped and held up his hands.

"Wait a minute, I'm not playing!" He said, panicking.

"That doesn't matter." Kanda smirked. Lavi gave Kanda a glare before slapping Komui's back...not very hard either. Kanda growled. Lavi spun the bottle and it landed on Fou.

"Truth or-"

"Dare." Fou said boldly.

"I dare you to kiss Bak." He sang. Her face flushed furiously and she glared at Lavi long and hard before placing a kiss on Bak's cheek. Bak had to reside from the game due to his melodramatic hives appearing. Komui laughed at him wickedly. Fou spun the bottle and it landed on Daisya.

"Dare." Daisya said before she could even ask.

"I dare you to lick Allen's cheek." She said, grinning evilly. Daisya shrugged and before Allen could react, he placed a big wet lick on his face. Allen scowled at her while he blushing, awkwardly wiping the saliva off his face. Daisya spun the bottle and it landed on Kanda. A wide grin broke across Daisya's face and Kanda cursed under his breath.

"Truth." Kanda grumbled.

"Have you ever had sex with-"

"Dare." He spat, already knowing what Daisya would as and it was way too embarrassing to admit. Daisya's grin widened. Kanda can't change his choice now.

"I dare you to make out with Allen for ten whole seconds." Everyone's eyes widened. Allen and Kanda looked absolutely horrified. "With tongue." Daisya sang. Allen nearly passed out right then. Lavi was actually _laughing_ about the whole thing.

"W-w-w-w-wait a m-minute here!"

Poor, poor Allen.

Kanda shoved him into the wall and started to violently make out with Allen. Allen was struggling and trying his best to push Kanda off of him, but Kanda seized his wrists and pushed his tongue through Allen's teeth. He gave Allen a look, daring him to bite him. Allen let out a small whine and Kanda was finally finished ten seconds later. Allen was coughing and wiping his mouth deliberately while Lavi and Daisya broke out into insane laughter. Allen felt like locking himself in a room from his bottle was spun and it landed on Lavi. Lavi stopped laughing instantly, seeing the glare on Kanda's face.

"Oh dear...um, dare?" Lavi half asked.

"I dare you...to put your hand on Allen's thigh and keep it there until I say stop."

"WHY AM I BEING DRAGGED INTO THIS?!" Allen felt so bad for himself. Lavi put his hand on Allen's thigh and Allen froze.

"You have to move your hand too." Kanda smirked. Double payback. Allen couldn't stop blushing. Lavi spun the bottle with his other hand and it landed on Lenalee. Lenalee sighed.

"Truth."

"Is it true that you like someone right now?" Lavi asked, still moving his hand. Allen couldn't even pay attention to the game at hand. His leg muscle would tense up and relax randomly. His thigh was one of his sensitive spots-as well as his ears. Lenalee nodded but said no so her brother wouldn't flip out. Lenalee spinned the bottle and it landed on on the nervous Allen had a feeling he knew what Lenalee would ask if he said truth.

"D-dare..." He stuttered, his attention still caught on Lavi's hand. \par

"I dare you..." Lenalee paused as she stared at the hand rubbing Allen's thigh. He was frantically spazzing his leg muscle all over the place and she swore she saw Lavi go farther than he needed too. "...hug Lavi until I say stop." She grinned. Allen was mentally head banging on a wall. Fou rolled her eyes and spun for him, explaining that he was too nice to do it himself. Lavi felt very loved at the moment as Allen was unwillingly forced to hug Lavi. He started pouting towards Kanda, but Kanda just snorted. It then landed on Kanda.

"Truth."

"Is it true that you think Allen looks cute?" Fou asked for him. Kanda just shrugged. She huffed and Kanda spun the bottle. It landed on Fou. "Dare." She replied effortlessly. Kanda smirked.

"I dare you to do the same thing Lavi's doing but with Allen's other thigh." Kanda smirked victoriously at Allen's ghost white face.

"I hate you so much." Allen said, glaring at the man. Fou did as instructed and Allen whined in Lavi's shirt...and then Lavi realized it wasn't a whine when Allen clenched onto his shirt. The game continued with no more perverted-ness except Lavi was forced to keep on while Fou was granted to stop. Allen meanwhile blew moist air into Lavi's shirt embarrassingly. The game ended but Lenalee and Kanda limited their time to an hour. Lavi rubbed Allen's back comfortingly.

After an hour finally passed, they instantly let go of each other. Allen breathed a sigh of relief and Lavi sat there awkwardly next to Allen. Allen looked at Lavi expectantly. Lavi spotted the karaoke machine and his face brightened. Allen looked over to what Lavi was looking at nervously. He sighed and gave Lavi a 'please don't do this to me' look. Lavi had to admit that the boy had a pretty rough night so far, but he wanted Allen to finish the song he stopped before. Lavi dragged the still-embarrassed Allen over to the karaoke machine and flipped through the songs. People cheered, recognizing Allen from the last party. Allen gulped nervously and Lavi clicked the song on before scrambling off the stage. Many people laughed.

_Today's a winding road_  
_That's taking me to places that I didn't want to go, whoa_  
_Today in the blink of an eye_  
_I'm holding onto something and I do not know why_  
_I try_

Cheers and clapping were heard until lots of people were forced to hush.\par

_I tried to read between the lines_  
_I tried to look in your eyes_  
_I want a simple explanation_  
_What I'm feeling inside_  
_Gotta find a way out_  
_Maybe there's a way out_

Just before the chorus the same thing happened to Allen from before: images of Lavi came rushing to his head.\par

_Your voice _  
_Was the soundtrack of my summer_  
_Do you know you're unlike any other?_  
_You'll always be my thunder_  
_And I said_  
_Your eyes_  
_Are the brightest of all the colors_  
_I don't wanna ever love another_  
_You'll always be my thunder_

He could see some of the people start to actually sway along with the music, it went infectious and everyone copied each others movements and slow danced with each other-some who didn't even know each other. Allen blushed at this...

_So bring_  
_On the rain_  
_And bring on the thunder_  
_Today's a winding road_  
_Tell me where to start and tell me something I don't know, whoa_

Before Allen started the next verse he noticed a few suspicious-looking characters in the room. They wore sunglasses to hid their eyes and they were dressed...in business suits...they seemed to be watching him very closely and nodding their heads from time to time. Their hairstyles were covered by hats but they still looked a bit familiar and bright...

_Today I'm on my own_  
_I can't move a muscle and I can't pick up the phone_  
_I don't know_

Allen kept singing the rest of the song but he couldn't help but give the men in business suits nervous looks. They had actually started talking through walkie talkies now and looked like they meant business...but what if that was their act as their costume? At this point, Allen really didn't know but that didn't mean he wouldn't finish the song. He didn't want to embarrass himself on stage...

_So bring_  
_On the rain_  
_Oh baby, bring_  
_On the pain_  
_And listen to the thunder._

Allen finished and the crowd started clapping. He blushed and put the microphone back before walking off the stage. He blushed even more when boos were heard as he left the stage. That wasn't the only thing that made him blush either.

"Someone put the cute kid back up there!" One shouted. Allen wasn't used to all the attention and fled to the back of the room. He was confronted by the people in business suits earlier. Allen scooted away from them until he heard familiar laughter. Allen was completely shocked when the hat and sunglasses were taken off of one of them to reveal Madarao: one of the top chefs at HQ. He put his hat and sunglasses back on when Lavi hopped on over like the white-er, red rabbit?-rabbit he was.

"Dude, you were awesome!" Lavi complimented. His cheerful look transformed suspicious when he saw the people beside Allen. "...and those are some shady characters there..." Lavi commented. Allen just shrugged. "How about a game to celebrate?"

"What kinda game?" Allen asked uncertainly. Lavi shrugged and started dragging Allen off somewhere until he saw Fou and a few others in a circle.

"Hey Fou!" Lavi greeted, plopping down beside her, dragging Allen with him.

"Hey, Lavi...Allen." She nodded her head at them.

"Whatcha playing here?" Lavi asked.

"Strip Poker. You wanna play? Allen can't though because he's a cheater." Fou said, causing Allen to pout and Lavi to snort. Allen settled for just watching and he proved to be very useful. While everyone was eyeballing and drooling at Allen, Fou would sneak peeks at everyone's cards and switch em around. Allen gave her a 'you hypocrite' glare. She shrugged. After a few rounds, Allen stood up.

"Well I'm going to get something to drink. I'm thirsty." He announced and stood up. Many of the guys stared up the skirt of Allen's dress and continued to drool. Fou took this opportunity to switch their cards around and snickered. Lavi rolled his eyes and grabbed his cup of Vodka...something he wasn't very good with. Allen meanwhile walked over to the food counter and served himself some spiked punch...Allen knew that everything was spiked just from the smell. He drank the somewhat tasty drink when Lenalee tapped his shoulders. "Hello Lenalee." Allen greeted politely.

"Hey, Allen! Just to warn you, Lavi's drinking Vodka."

"Lemme guess, he acts differently for each alcohol he gets drunk on?" Allen guessed. Lenalee nodded and Allen sighed. "What is it this time?"

"He gets _extremely_ jealous. Like last time some guy grabbed me and he tore me out of that guy's arms. My brother nearly busted one of his lungs!" Allen was amused with her short story.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Lenalee nodded and walked around to find her brother, kicking any guy in the private part every time she saw them trying to look up Allen's dress...and she was a great kicker.

Allen was casually walking back to their game when he felt himself shoved roughly into a nearby wall. The drink spilled all over the large guy that pushed him and the cup clang to the floor. It drew the attention of Kanda and Lavi, who were nearby, drinking vodka together to see who could get drunk first. Kanda was obviously winning with how drunk Lavi looked. Lavi and Kanda's head snapped over towards Allen and the man who was now feeling Allen's behind up his dress as he placed his left hand on Allen's waist. Allen shivered and was too drunk to successfully push him away.

"Come on, Alice, I'll take you to Wonderland." ...and he was very horrible at puns...the large man roughly kissed Allen on the mouth and then licked his tongue up Allen's neck.

"...s...s-stop!" Allen pushed against the man as he started sucking on his neck. Allen felt so weak and...gross.

Lavi was enraged.

Before the man could move his left hand down anymore, Kanda wacked the man over the head with the hilt of the sword Allen gave him for his birthday. Allen fell to the floor, his legs unable to hold him up any longer. Lavi ran past Kanda, who was beating the crap out of the random guy...with a sword...and over to Allen. He pulled Allen up and dragged him into a private room.

"La-Lavi, I...I-" Allen was startled when he felt Lavi's lips against his own. He also felt Lavi's hands in the same positions as that man's from before. Allen knew Lavi was jealous whenever he felt Lavi lick and suck at his neck the way that man did. He sucked hard though, as if to overlap what that man had done. Allen tangled his hand in Lavi's hair. "...L-Lavi..." Allen breathed out. Lavi picked him up and threw him on the bed. He then shut the lights off and cuddled Allen from behind.

_...wait...are we going to sleep now?_ Allen wondered. Lavi held him close and bit at the back of Allen's neck flirtatiously. Allen bit his lip to keep from letting out a noise that would most likely encourage the redhead. _I wonder if he even knows if he's doing this..._Allen wondered to himself. He felt Lavi making marks all over his skin and turned around to glare at him to stop until he saw the look on Lavi's face...it seemed...possesive...Allen blushed and cuddled into Lavi's chest. He could feel himself finally start to relax and doze off.

At this moment, he really didn't care what would await him in the morning.

* * *

**So does it seem different somehow? Maybe it does, but I wouldn't be able to tell. *Laughs at NoName-chan's pain* This is what happens when you threaten me! You forget, I have Tyki, Tease, and glitter on my side! Muahahahaha! -coughs- Right, well, anyways, I'd really like to know if it's different. A little hint here, Madarao, Tokusa, Tevek, Kiredori, and Koushi (the Crow group) will get more involved later on-not in the bad way either! They're good guys in this fictions...just like Tyki...who is usually a bad guy unless paired up with Allen xD Allen's love and kindness just spreads to everyone. Heehee. Cute Allen :3 Anyways...-kicks back and laughs at readers who are enraged at the Cliffy- I love you all, but this is really amusing.  
Tyki: -kicked back beside me- It is, isn't it?  
Vira: AHH -falls out of recliner- WHEN DID YOU GET THERE?!  
Tyki: -smirks creepily- I'm _always _here.  
Vira: -gives uneasy look- Sure...  
Anyways, thank you to-OH MY GOD GUESTS EVERYWHERE -rolls around in the guest cushion where many guests stare at her oddly as she rolls across their laps- Ah, Guests...gotta love em ^-^ Like I was saying before though! -Pulls out random list and clears throat- Thank you Snipperita, smileysparklea, KamenAkuma, bookspazz55, Shirubagure (read it already lol), ankhesenamun2, spoons-are-evil (I would nickname you spoons but that would be a bit...obvious...), Lyokni, xXxPhantomxXx, NoName-chan, Kinue, midnightstardust, XxlovinlavenxX (Lavilicious...I like the sound of that -smirks-), Sparkle-de-Cat (I actually don't mind black ants...red ants are different though...), Katie2000, MaxAngelOfDeath, and the Guest for reviewing. -crumples list and throws it in the 'reviews' bin for safekeeping.  
Tyki:...that doesn't look like safekeeping...by the way, what the _fuck _are you listening to?  
Vira: Honestly, I don't even know anymore. It was a song I heard in my childhood days. (M.I.A. Paper Planes-DON'T LISTEN TO IT)  
Tyki: -stares at Vira with wide eyes- What kind of childhood...  
Any who! I'll see you all (well not all of you haha) next chapter! :3 **


	42. Chapter 42

**This chapter turned out way much more longer than I would've hoped for. What mostly dragged it out was that I needed to get to a point, but I couldn't figure out where to put it in at! But yay! I'm a betareader now! But, I'm a bit new at this...so I barely have any idea what I'm doing. I know I beta'd a story for a little bit of time and I know how to work the DocX thing...but I guess I'm just paranoid. Haha, well, I have my own little Beta Profile thing now ^-^ If it seems short and cut to the point...then I apologize...woo...officially a Betareader. I feel accomplished haha. Well...I guess I'll end the AN right here...  
****Tyki: Why are you being so awkward?  
****Vira: SHUT UP AND LET THEM READ THE STORY!**

* * *

The next day, Lavi woke up like a very, _very_ confused camper. He felt his hands in a place they shouldn't be and didn't dare look down. Usually, if he would've woken up like this, his hands would be around someone's _waist_. But oh no, they weren't. They were _lower_. Lavi knew that he was a womanizer and all, but ever since he hung out with Allen, he didn't take it so far anymore. Lavi paused in his short thinking about women and thought about Allen. The topic of Allen made so many memories of last night rush to his head. _L-Lavi..._He blushed, remembering about what he did to Allen after that guy molested him. He inwardly sighed and put his head in Allen's white fluff, smelling it deeply. He closed his eyes and made sure to move his hands away from Allen's and to his waist instead. Then he realized something else.

They were both still in costume.

He didn't usually like sleeping in costumes because they were always ruined when he woke up. Out of curiosity, he looked down and blushed again, forgetting what exactly Allen had been wearing. His costume wasn't ruined...that was great...but he found himself staring at Allen. He didn't want to because then it would be awkward if Allen woke up. But he just couldn't stop looking at the younger one. _Ah, God, if this keeps up he's going to make me fall in love with him. _Lavi thought as he watched the boy's eyes slowly open. He immediately closed his eyes so Allen wouldn't catch him staring. Awhile passed by and Lavi peeked open his eyes to see that Allen had closed his eyes again. Just to see Allen's reaction, Lavi pressed Allen against him some more. Lavi closed his eyes just as Allen's snapped open. He peeked through one of his eyes to see Allen blushing and looking away...guiltily?

"L-Lavi...?" Allen mumbled, still not looking at him and actually closing his eyes this time.

"Hm?" Lavi hummed casually as if they weren't just two best friends cuddling together awkwardly.

"Y-your...it...um...I didn't look but..." Allen trailed off uneasily, still not opening his eyes. Lavi rose his eyebrows and that was when he froze.

He wasn't wearing his eye-patch.

Lavi tried not to scramble around too quickly but he paused when he looked at Allen, who was still closing his eyes so he wouldn't see what was there. Lavi sighed and tilted Allen's chin towards his face. "Open your eyes, Allen." He said softly. Allen opened his eyes slightly before closing them tightly. Lavi rolled his eyes and pulled Allen into a kiss. As he expected, Allen's eyes snapped open and he stared into Lavi's eyes.

One was green, the other was blue.

Lavi pulled his lips away quickly when he realized that Allen had started crying. The last time Lavi saw Allen cry was when he was injured badly and most likely worried. But why would Allen cry over something like this? Did he...pity Lavi? Lavi cupped Allen's cheek and gave him a puzzled look, earning a shake of Allen's head as he wiped at his eyes roughly, embarrassed for crying so easily.

"S-sorry...I just...didn't ever think you would actually...show me..." He said. Lavi then remembered one of their fights they had about each others hidden limbs. Allen had asked what was under Lavi's eyepatch and Lavi wouldn't show him-leading the boy to believe that Lavi didn't trust him enough.

"Allen..." Lavi said softly. Allen looked up from his sleeves, which he was drying his eyes on. "It's not that I don't trust you-I do. It's just...I know this sounds bad for _me_ to say, but I just didn't want you to...see me any different." Allen gave Lavi an exasperated look at his words. That was the same with Allen, yet Lavi still saw his arm! "It's just...no one would ever think that Lavi Bookman, a straight A, awesome, popular student, would actually have a deformity. People judge you on the smallest of things and I know you're not like that, but I couldn't help but be afraid-ya know? I just didn't want you..." Lavi trailed off when he felt Allen's lips on his closed right eye. His eye fluttered open when Allen pulled away. Allen was giving him a sad smile.

"Lavi, I would never think different of you. You probably hear this a lot from other people...mostly girls...but, I think you're perfect the way you are." Allen whispered, blushing at how sappy that came out. He blushed deeper when all Lavi was doing was just staring at him. He couldn't help but think that he said something wrong. "S-sorry...that probably sounded f-freakish to you because I'm...er..." Allen looked down at his hands. Lavi already knew Allen was gay, and he could've just made things awkward for them now. He felt Lavi cup his hand to his cheek and he looked up. Lavi closed his eyes and pressed his lips gently against Allen's. Allen didn't realize how much a short, sweet kiss could mean to him. They were lost in each others eyes at the moment. "L-Lavi ...I..." Allen trailed off, wanting so badly to tell the man he loved him. But, just as he was about to say it, the most embarrassing thing happened.

Allen's stomach rumbled..._loudly._

Allen blushed a scarlet red color and looked away cutely. Lavi couldn't help but burst into sudden laughter and pull Allen into a hug. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Lavi asked jokingly as he held the younger in his arms. _If only you loved me the way I love you..._Allen thought miserably, but he managed to keep a small smile on his face. Allen laid his head against Lavi's chest and closed his eyes. His stomach rumbled again and he inwardly groaned.

"Lavi, please tell me there's food and extra clothes in the house?" Allen somewhat begged.

"Yeah, we're always stocked up." Lavi replied, grinning down at the whitette.

"Good." Allen commented and pushed himself away from Lavi. He rolled across the huge mattress and stood up.

Allen only briefly wondered where his shoes had gone but ignored the fact. He walked over to the dresser supplied there. Just as Lavi sat up, Allen had crouched down and dug through the drawers. He could only find a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that just barely fit him...meaning they were way too big on him. He started by embarrassingly removing the tights and untied his dress. He pursed his lips, realizing that he's have to step out of the dress...but...it was almost like he grew a lot last night and taking the dress off was a lot harder than putting it on. He sighed as he found he couldn't get it past his waist. He slowly looked over at Lavi, who was raising an eyebrow at him. Allen puffed out his cheeks and blushed.

"Will you help me?" Lavi blinked a few times before hopping off the bed-which looked quite comical since he was still wearing rabbit ears-and walking over to Allen. He also pursed his lips.

"How did you get the damn thing on? Jeez, I didn't realize it was this tight. What the hell, can you even breathe right now?!" Lavi asked as he found pulling it past Allen's waist was very difficult. He searched the back for any type of zipper, putting his hands all over the place. Allen blushed as Lavi searched him up. "Here we are..." Lavi mumbled as he found a zipper on Allen's side. He slowly zipped in down and found another one on Allen's other. "What the hell..." He mumbled as he placed his cold hand on Allen's right side and worked on his left zipper. Allen gasped and moved away from Lavi. Lavi gave Allen a 'wtf?' look. Allen blushed and unzipped it instead.

"Y-your hands are cold..." He explained. Lavi shrugged and picked out his own clothes as Allen started undressing behind him. Once the dress was finally off, Allen pulled the extra t-shirt and sweatpants on. He turned to leave the room when he noticed Lavi standing the the doorway, shirtless. He had his eyepatch back on though. Allen's eyes widened and he blushed.

"Like what ya see?" Lavi asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Allen blushed deeper and gave Lavi a weak glare. He tried walking past Lavi but Lavi was completely in the way. The only way out was the small space between his legs.

"Lavi, can you move?" Allen asked politely. He could always shove him to the ground though...but Allen didn't want to hurt Lavi...

"What's the magic word~?" Lavi sang. Allen sighed. _How old is he again?_

"...please?" Allen asked.

"Nope." Lavi grinned. Allen pouted and gave Lavi the cutest puppy dog eyes. Lavi hesitated and Allen made his move to tackle him to the ground. "Whoa!" Lavi shouted. Allen smirked at him.

"I got through~." He teased. Neither of them noticed Lenalee and Fou, who had actually came over to wake them up, giggling at them.

"Nu uh!" Lavi denied, even though they were sitting in the hallway.

"What do you mean, nu uh? We're sitting in the hallway right-" Allen didn't get to finish since Lavi tackled him back and into the room. Lavi hovered over Allen and grinned down at him childishly.

"Ha!" He laughed. Allen groaned.

"Get off, I'm hungry!" Allen reasoned.

"Nope~!" Lavi sang.

"Lavi! Stop being childish!" Allen scolded, pouting. Fou sneaked up behind Lavi as he teased Allen. In one quick movement, she pushed Lavi's head down harshly onto Allen's lips. "Mm! What the hell, Lavi?!" Allen asked. Fou and Lenalee snickered.

"B-but...I didn't..." Lavi mumbled and sat up. He noticed that Allen was trying to get away and sat on his stomach. Lavi held the back of his head confusingly as he looked around to see who had pushed him. Lavi was the only one to not notice Allen, who was a stuttering mess beneath him. "That is so weird, because I honestly didn't mean to kiss you...I think someone pushed me...but then where did they go?" Lavi wondered aloud.

"L-L-La-Lav-vi!" Allen stuttered, his face as hot as fire. Lavi didn't pay any attention to him. "G-get o-off!" He tried again, with no such luck. Lavi wasn't paying any attention to him, too busy searching the hallway for any sight of who pushed him.

"I wonder if Fou did that..." He mumbled. "It would make a lot of-Mmph!" Lavi was beyond shocked. Allen had grabbed the front of Lavi's shirt and pulled him down roughly into a kiss. It didn't seem that he could get Lavi to pay attention to him any other way. Fou and Lenalee's eyes widened at Allen's stunt. He let go of Lavi, who looked so dizzy at the moment. "Wh-whoa...what chu gotta go and do that for?" Lavi slurred.

"There, now we're even...NOW GET OFF!" Allen yelled.

"Eh? But why? You seemed to like it so much you kissed me." Lavi replied, smirking.

"Wh-what? N-no! I w-was just tr-trying to get your attention!" Allen explained frantically.

"Eh? Allen-chan wants _my_ attention? I feel flattered." Lavi said, smirking.

"N-n-no-not l-like that! Y-you weren't g-getting off s-so I needed to d-do something t-to get your attention!" Allen reasoned.

"Are you sure that's the _real_ reason, Allen?" Lavi purred. Allen's face contorted into confusion.

"Wh-why else would I have-" Allen's eyes widened when he felt Lavi kiss his neck. "U-um...L-Lavi?" Allen asked, attempting to push the elder off. "Why else would I-"

"Oh? Well you seemed to be _enjoying_ yourself last night." Lavi purred. Allen's face went scarlet and Fou was having a major nosebleed in the hall while Lenalee was giving her tissues and blushing.

"Th-that w-was...but...I...that..." Allen was totally speechless. He didn't think Lavi would remember that from the way he acted.

"If you didn't enjoy it, then why would you let me do all this?" Lavi asked smoothly, running his finger along the many marks he made on Allen's neck.

"All what?" Allen asked. Lavi rose an eyebrow before grabbing a nearby convenient mirror and showing it to him. Allen's eyes widened in complete shock.

"O-oh my God, Lavi!" He exclaimed, moving his neck to the side to see more clearly. Allen swallowed nervously. How was he supposed to show himself in front of everyone now? Allen blushed a few more shades just thinking about the looks on their faces. "I can't believe you made so many..." He whispered hoarsely.

"Hey, at least we didn't have sex because then those marks would be the least of your problems-"

"LAVI!" Allen shouted embarrassedly. How could Lavi talk about having sex with him so openly?! They weren't even dating! Didn't Lavi realize that?! Lavi rolled his eyes.

"Stop worrying so much, Allen. They're easy to cover up." Lavi informed.

"For you maybe! Do you have any idea what Narain would say to me if he saw these?! He would tease me about it for a month! And Neah!...oh God, Neah..." Allen paled.

"Stop worrying, just tell him we're just friends. No need to lie about it." Lavi said.

Did Lavi not get that 'friends' didn't do this? Or maybe they did? Allen wouldn't know...but he didn't see Lavi doing these kinds of things to his friends. _Maybe I'm just paranoid..._ Allen thought. He sighed and closed his eyes, forgetting all about the fact that Lavi was sitting on him or that he was hungry. Lavi leaned down and placed a kiss on Allen's lips. _Just friends my ass! Lavi, you little shit, quit tricking him!_ Fou thought but she couldn't glare at them for long since they were kissing like that. Lavi's hands were on either side of Allen's head and Allen's hands were tangled in Lavi's outrageous hair. Lenalee blushed even more than Allen. She wasn't used to seeing these kinds of things from them, though she felt a little bad for Allen. He had to feel confused with the way Lavi would flirt with others and kiss him at the same time. Lenalee knew that she wouldn't even be sane. How does Allen put up with him?

"Um-mm-La-vi?" Allen asked between kisses.

"Hm?" Lavi hummed. As if to answer for Allen, Allen's stomach growled. Lavi grinned against Allen's lips and laid his head against Allen's chest, chuckling. "Sorry, I forgot. Lets go then." Lavi said as he climbed off Allen and helped him up. Allen was rubbing his neck nervously. Lavi rolled his eyes. He walked over to a closet and drifted a gray scarf around Allen's neck before patting his shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout it." Lavi said as he confidently walked out the door.

Fou and Lenalee had disappeared into the kitchen before they could get caught. Allen was still feeling a little uneasy as he sat down at the dining room table. He laid his head on the cold counter-top and marveled in the silence. He could vaguely hear a door opening but he didn't mind it at all. He did feel his sleeve of his t-shirt sliding down because it was too big. He furrowed his eyebrows and pulled it up annoyingly. It stayed put for awhile until falling back down. He sighed and left it there. It was yanked back up and Allen fell out of his chair at the sudden action. He looked up to see Neah standing there, tapping his foot.

"Good morning, Neah." Allen greeted somewhat nervously.

"Good _afternoon_, Allen." Neah scowled. It was actually 12:30...but how was he supposed to know that? And how did Neah even _find_ this place? "I called you." He spoke clearly and curtly.

"Oh...I...don't have my ph-phone on...me...shoot!" Allen wanted t bang his head against a wall, remembering that Link wanted to talk to him. He scurried into the room he slept in before and checked the calls. He sweat dropped when he saw he had forty-two from Neah and two from Link. He came out of the room and felt really awkward. "Um...what's so urgent you had to call me forty times?" Allen asked. Everyone in the room sweat dropped...except for Komui, who understood Neah's pain.

"Well, as you know, Christmas is coming next month. Not to mention your birthday." Neah added. Allen went from awkward to uncomfortable.

"...oh...about that...I don't really..." Allen trailed off as he sat down in the chair he was in previously.

"Don't you _dare_ say you're not celebrating it this year-because you are. With me." Neah informed.

"I am?" Allen asked.

"Yup! I haven't been able to spend it with you at all since..." Neah trailed off.

Silence.

"...yeah...I know..." Allen mumbled and laid his head on the table. Kanda, Lenalee, and Komui were mildly confused. Lavi had long since disappeared and Fou felt empathy towards her friend. Lavi finally walked in as he put on a shirt. He paused midway of pulling his shirt down when he realized the tense aura.

"Whoa, who killed the mood?" He asked jokingly. Neah looked over and spotted Lavi.

"Ah! Lavi! I need to have a word with you!" Neah smiled sweetly like Allen would when he was angry. _Why does everyone who knows Allen do that? _Lavi thought, somewhat terrified. Allen didn't rat him out, did he? Lavi paled a few shades.

"Wh-what f-for?" Lavi asked cautiously. Neah grabbed Lavi's wrist and dragged him off into a private room.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Lenalee asked as she started walking towards where Neah dragged Lavi off with a bowl of cereal in her hands.

Meanwhile...in a closet somewhere...

"S-so..." Lavi started.

"Why do you keep getting my Allen drunk?" Neah asked coldly. Lavi opened his mouth but closed it immediately. He then opened it again.

"Actually, I don't get him drunk. He gets himself drunk. I just invite him to parties. Come on, Neah, he's eighteen now, he can take care of himself." Lavi assured. Neah sighed and stared at his feet with a sad look on his face.

"I know how old he is...I just...regret not being there for him." Neah said miserably while randomly sitting on the floor. He covered his face with his hands. "I was such a coward."

Okay, now things were awkward.

Allen's uncle was sitting here close to tears and Lavi had no idea how to comfort him. If it was Allen, Lavi would've hugged him and told him that everything was going to be okay...but this here was a whole different ball game. Neah was a grown man-not that Allen wasn't...but Lavi didn't know how to deal with handling guys older than him who are about to cry their eyes out. Perhaps he could get Road over here and cheer him up? They were lovers, weren't they? That's how Allen was related to Tyki. Tyki is Road's uncle and by getting with her, Allen and Tyki were now related. Lavi really didn't know what to do. What did Neah expect him to do? Lavi put his hand on Neah's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, but you can be there for him now." Lavi replied, a bit surprised by his own words of wisdom. Neah paused and looked up at Lavi to see an honest look in his eyes. Neah smiled at him and stood up.

"You're right. I'll have to make up for running away." Neah told him. Lavi thought how ironic this situation was. First, Lavi was trying to make it up to Allen for getting him bullied. Now, Neah wanted to make it up to Allen for running away when he could've been there for him.

"How do you suppose you're going to do that?" Lavi asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I'll start by confronting Cross. He was the one who Allen grew up with after all. He should know more about Allen than anyone else." Neah replied smartly. Lavi tilted his head. He never really thought about that. Why didn't he talk to Cross about Allen? Oh wait...Cross seemed a bit too violent for him.

"Right, so maybe we should come out of the closet now?" Lavi suggested. Neah deadpanned. "What's wrong?" Lavi asked.

"Do you realize what you just said and how many different ways it could be taken?" Neah asked. "Coming out of the closet means...well...you know. No offense to _you, _but I'm not gay." Neah informed as he strutted out of the closet. Lavi was left in there, mouth agape. Did Neah _really _just imply that he was gay?

"HEY WAIT A SECOND!" Lavi chased after him. Neah laughed and ran out the door. Lavi stormed into the kitchen and plopped in a chair next to Allen, who had confusingly laid his head on the table and was now texting Link, looking more than extremely bored. Lavi stared down at him. _I am not gay. Not. Gay. _He thought to himself. He watched as Allen's sleeve slowly fell down and exposed his shoulder. Lavi's eye twitched. He felt so tempted to just-_NO! I am not gay! Allen is just...no...I can't even say it...what the hell is wrong with me?! _Lavi thought and started to repeatedly bang his head on the table. Everyone stared at him worriedly.

"Lavi, are you-" Allen started.

"NO I'M NOT!" Lavi roared and left the room. Allen sat there, confused beyond confusion as well as everyone else.

"Does that mean he's _not _okay? Or was he answering a question in his head?" Allen asked. Everyone shrugged in response.

Allen sighed, figuring that he'd need to use Lavi as a ride anyways. Then again...they did take his car...so he could just leave by himself...but then how would Lavi leave? Oh wait, wasn't Fou and Lenalee here? As well as Kanda? Allen nodded and ran upstairs, digging through the costume he borrowed from Anita the other day. He found a bag under a sink and put the costume in there. Allen found his keys on the desk and grabbed them before slipping on his 'Alice' shoes. There wasn't really anything else to wear...Allen walked out the door and started up his car. Just as he was pulling out of the driveway, Lavi jumped in through his window on the top of his car. Allen slammed on his breaks and stared at Lavi incredulously.

"Are you insane?!" Allen asked. Lavi just started laughing.

"You should've seen the look on your face!" Lavi laughed. Allen gave him a glare before driving off to HQ.

"Why did you jump in my car?" Allen asked.

"Because I need you to take me to HQ. I have to meet someone there." Lavi replied flawlessly.

"So you're using me." Allen stated blankly.

"No, I'm just riding with you to HQ." Lavi answered.

"Yeah, sure. So who's going to take you home then?" Allen asked, not really paying attention to Lavi as he pulled on the street that HQ was located on.

"Er...Elda..." Lavi said sheepishly. Allen seemed a bit taken aback, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the drive there was silent. _Why am I even surprised? _Allen asked himself bitterly. _Of course. He sees a girl he likes and takes her out. Simple as that. How could I have not seen this coming? _Allen asked himself. That obliterated all his thoughts of maybe them getting together. Lavi was too much of a flirt to stay with just Allen. Allen pulled in and hopped out of the car, ignoring Lavi completely. He locked his door once Lavi was out. Elda was waiting patiently in a pretty pink dress by the front entrance. Allen wasn't going to think mean of her because Lavi liked her. She did look beautiful after all. He had no reason to blame her for Lavi's actions. Lavi was Lavi and he would always be Lavi. He did notice that Elda gave him a suspicious look, but he ignored it completely. It was expected.

"Let me show you around!" Lavi said, not wanting to let Allen get away from him before explaining himself.

"Why would I need to-" Elda started but Lavi cut her off.

"Because I work here and if you ever need to find me, you'll know where I'll be." Lavi replied. Allen had already walked through the door, bag in hand.

"Anita!" He called, searching around the oddly-empty restaurant.

"Allen! Yo! Over here!" Allen paused in his walking and caught Madarao waving at him to come over. Allen shrugged and walked over. Lavi watched him suspiciously. He felt Elda elbow him.

"Okay, I'm just worried for him. They're usually really mean. You get it, right? He's my best friend. He's like a little brother to me, I have to make sure he's okay." Lavi persuaded. _Okay, why did that sound weird coming out of my mouth? _Lavi asked himself. Elda nodded and sat on a bench to wait.

"What's up, Madarao?" Allen asked, studying him closely. He'd never seen Madarao in anything other than an apron. Now he was wearing skin-tight clothing for exercise or something. What? Was he not allowed to check anyone out now? It's not like he had a boyfriend or anything. Madarao placed his hand around Allen's shoulder and started walking away. Lavi peeked around a corner and his eyes widened greatly. Allen gave Madarao's hand an awkward look.

"Okay, well, we heard you singing last night and well, we've got an awesome idea for you! You'll love it!" Madarao exclaimed. Allen tilted his head, suddenly interested.

"Oh? What is it?" Allen asked.

"Okay, so Tokusa and I own a cafe down the street, right? It's called Crow-don't ask why. But you see, we wanted to bring more attention to it and we had an awesome idea. What would you say to singing there? You can show up _whenever _you want. And we'll pay you too, how does that sound?" Madarao asked. Allen had actually thought about it. It sounded like a great idea-he would probably even do it for free if Madarao didn't offer some money.

"That actually sounds awesome." Allen replied truthfully. Madarao switched his position to grab at Allen's shoulders.

"Really?! Are you serious?! Oh wow, thanks a lot!" Madarao grinned, giving Allen a huge hug. Allen wheezed, feeling like he was being crushed.

"Y-yeah...can you...I can't...breathe..." Allen wheezed. Madarao quickly let go.

"Aha, sorry about that." Madarao grinned sheepishly. "Anyways, I have something else to talk to you about...it's more about...The Akuma Gang." Madarao frowned at Allen. _I knew it! They're trying to get close to him so they can find out more about The Akuma Gang!...not that Allen knows anything about them...right? _Lavi eyed Madarao suspiciously. Allen sighed.

"Madarao, I don't know anything about-" Allen started.

"It's about Lavi too." Madarao said seriously, causing Allen to snap his mouth shut. Lavi stared at Madarao blankly. What would The Akuma Gang have anything to do with him? Allen seemed to know what Madarao was talking about by the way he was sweating nervously.

"...o-oh..." Allen mumbled.

"You do realize you're endangering him...right?" Madarao asked. Lavi's eyes widened. _What is he talking about? _Lavi wondered.

"...I..." Allen hesitated in answering.

"They're after you, you realize that right? And if you hang around him like you are now, they're going to use him to get to you." Madarao informed. Allen bit his lip. He knew about this, but he couldn't separate from Lavi. Allen sighed.

"I...I know...I just..." Allen stopped walking and Madarao stopped along with him. Lavi's eyes widened. _What? They're...after me now? Why didn't Allen warn me about this? If I would've known...I could've at least avoided so much contact with him! They have got to have noticed by now...why would he keep this from me?! _Lavi wondered angrily. That was all he needed to storm out of HQ. Elda was stumbling after him.

"Lavi! Where are you going?!" Elda asked, pouting.

"I'll call you later, Elda, I have to run an errand real quick!" Lavi lied as he stormed off. He didn't live too far away from here...

Meanwhile, at HQ...

Madarao placed his hand on Allen's shoulder in a comforting way. "Just don't worry about it for now I guess. But you should probably tell him later." Madarao said. Allen sighed.

"Yeah, I'll tell him...I'm just afraid he might..." Allen trailed off. Madarao nodded in understanding.

"Just don't worry about it for now. I guess I'll see you later then?" Madarao asked. Allen nodded.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." Allen smiled.

"Can't wait." Madarao grinned at him and walked off. Allen sat there for awhile, a tad bit confused.

_Did he just wink at me? _

* * *

After finally finding Anita a few minutes later, Allen returned the costume to her and left HQ to hop back in his car. He figured he should probably ask Madarao when the hours for Crow Cafe was open. First, he _really _needed to dress into something different. So, Allen hopped out of his car and walked to his house. He found a few letters in his mailbox. Curious, Allen took the papers and laid them on the dining room table before running upstairs to his room to get dressed. He took out a red button up shirt and black dress pants, finishing the look off with some shin-high boots and some black gloves. He tied a black ribbon around his neck and checked himself in the mirror.

_Hm...is this too classy I wonder? _Allen asked himself. _Wait...why am I even worrying about this? _Allen shook his head. He opened his phone to see Link sent him a text message.

**Link: For right now, let's just lay low. I'll text you later. **

_How odd...oh well. _Allen shrugged. He was about to put his phone in his pocket when he got the idea to text Lavi. He did need to talk to Lavi about The Akuma Gang..._I really hope he isn't mad at me..._Allen thought, and called Lavi instead, figuring this was way too important to text him about.

_"What?"_ He heard Lavi snap on the other side of the phone.

"Lavi?" Allen asked.

_"What do you want, Allen?"_ Lavi asked, really annoyed. Allen frowned at the man's anger.

"Is something wrong, Lavi...?" Allen asked worriedly. Lavi didn't answer. "Right...well, I need to talk to you about something...it's about-"

_"I think I heard enough, Allen."_ Allen winced at Lavi's bitter voice. Allen's breath hitched in his throat. _He...he didn't hear Madarao and I talking, did he? _

"What do you-" Allen started.

_"I heard you and Madarao talking, there's no need to explain anything to me. I can't believe you, Allen. Why wouldn't you tell me about this?! If I knew about this, I would've avoided being around you so much! You just endangered my life, Allen. I at least needed to know what was happening." _Lavi growled. Allen's heart started hammering in his chest. He was seriously getting scared. _"I don't think we should hang out anymore. Not until all of this kills over." _

"W-wait, Lavi! Listen, I...I didn't tell you because-" Allen couldn't finish his sentence when Lavi interrupted him.

_"Don't bother, Allen. You should've told me this to begin with. Do you have any idea what I have to go through, now? Now I have to suspect everyone around me as one of those blasted Akuma! I honestly can't believe you wouldn't tell me about this, Allen. Just, don't talk to me anymore until this is over. If you can't figure this out...then I guess we can't be friends." __No...no..._Allen thought, horrified. The line cut and Allen fell to his knees. After all he did...after everything had changed...after all this...how ironic was it that Lavi didn't want to be friends with Allen when that's what Allen was trying to accomplish in the first place? He didn't want to be Lavi's friend, he didn't want to endanger him. He didn't want to fall in love with him. He wanted to end the friendship they had for Lavi's sake.

Lavi beat him to it.

* * *

**Hate me all you want -sticks tongue out- it _had _to be done. Why would I do this for no reason? I hope you guys _somewhat _enjoyed the chapter. I realize that I let you off on another cliffhanger...but I think that's just my natural habit to do things like that...yeah...awkward over here.  
Tyki: Why are you being so-  
Vira: Shut. Up. Tyki.  
Jeez. I dunno why I'm awkward right now...anyways, yay! A new voter ^0^ I'm so happy now :3 Again, thank you to all my reviewers! :3 I was having the worst day today because I had to walk to school because I missed my bus. On my way to school, I started reading all of your reviews and I felt so much more happier! Even though my face was completely red from the cold and everyone stared at me xD I had to go to my locker because I was a little late. I usually sprawl all my stuff out on the floor to get everything organized and my DHO teacher walked by and just gave me a O_O look. But yay! Reviews! -rolls around on a mat labeled 'reviews' filled with glitter- Don't ask me why I like glitter so much...I have no idea why. I just LOVE glitter. I also love it when people Glitter Bomb me. That's when you take a handful of glitter and throw it at someone if you didn't know. But yessss, glitter! -heart-  
Tyki: -mumbles- ...freak...  
Vira: -ignores- Anyways, thank you Lyokni, KamenAkuma, Seraphinit (because it is most likely a cliffhanger every time xD), Sooo-Zetta-Slow, Snipperita, myangelicladyofdarkness, roseahal, midnightstardust (-gasp- you perv! Don't worry, we all have a little perv inside of us, especially Tyki), smileysparklea, Shirubagure (great idea for the pairing...but Neah and Road are already together xD I _will _remember this pairing though), spoons-are-evil (yeah, I would update quicker but school's a bish), The Amazing Emiko-chan, bookspazz55 (...you looked it up...didn't you?), Kinue, NoName-chan (-hugs-), MintGreenn, xXlovinlavenXx, Sparkle-de-Cat (I WILL...later...curse my laziness xD), MaxAngelOfDeath, and Guesty Guest for reviewing! -gasps for air- Holy. Cow. Until next time~ -poofs with Tyki and Tease. Allen and Lavi tied to a chair remain- Have fun you guys~  
Lavi and Allen: _Oh shit. Fangirls. _**


	43. Chapter 43

**I know it's been awhile since I updated but I haven't exactly been on the computer until now. I've been on my phone the entire time, laying in my bed and writing this on my email...I sent the other half of this to my email...and it completely disappeared. It just went POOF. No more. So I got upset and here I am trying to finish the rest of the story. Anyways, angsty Allen in here...-lets out a huge sigh- I don't wanna rewrite all of this :L Oh, and Link shows up a lot in here. He's such a pal. Haha. Dang...what am I talking about...that wasn't half the story...that was 75% of the story...-cries- Whatever...I'm doing this for you guys so you _better _be happy. -pets Tease- Your name is Mai. Or Glitter. I like Glitter. That's a good name...haha...Mai Glitter...it sounds like 'My Glitter'...-erupts in laughter- YES! Your name shall be Mai Glitter -cracks up-  
****Tyki: You are such a deranged child...-shakes head-  
****-Giggles- Right...so onto the story!**

* * *

Allen felt like he couldn't breathe. Did Lavi truly mean what he said? He couldn't have...he just couldn't...why? Allen couldn't even think straight right now. He didn't understand what was going on. It felt like he had lost Mana all over again. "...Ma...na..." Allen whispered to himself. He stood up shakily before walking downstairs slowly. He walked over to the dining room table and picked up the letters, hoping to distract himself from the silence. He picked up the first one. It was from an apartment number Allen didn't recognize.

_Dear Allen, _

_I've decided to get off your back and get my own place to give you your personal space. Good luck! _

_-Narain_

_P.S. I got a new job as an STNA at the hospital!_

_What...why...I..._The note only made things worse. Allen picked up the next stack hurriedly and flipped through them. _B-bills?!_ He found a sticky note attached to them.

_Idiot Apprentice,_

_I'm going on vacation. Take care of these, will ya? They shouldn't be a problem for you._

_-Cross_

_Why is all this happening?!_ Allen grabbed the next envelope and tore it open. He didn't even read who it was from.

_Allen Walker, _

_You have four weeks._

_-Akuma_

_P.S. Don't show or tell this to anyone if you value your friend's life._

_No...no, no, no..._Allen thought over and over again. Madarao was right. Allen crumpled the paper in his fist. It was just one thing after another. He didn't think he'd be able to handle anything else. Allen shakingly grabbed for another note. It was another note from the Akuma.

_Good luck._

Allen snapped. He went completely berserk. He didn't understand what was going on and what he was doing. The next few hours were a complete blur. He didn't realize that in those few hours...he almost killed himself.

When Allen awoke, he was sitting on his bathroom floor. His shoulder and hands hurt really bad. He looked down and felt nauseous at all the blood covering the floor. _What happened?_ Allen gripped his head in pain. He could only vaguely remember what he did. He was surprised at his wrist. Which had been covered in cuts ranging from narrow to deep. His knuckles were bloodied and he could see small shards of glass within them. He winced and felt the same red liquid oozing down his left shoulder. He looked at it and had to immediately look away. _What have I done?_ He was even wearing easy-accessible clothes. A short-sleeved white t-shirt, stained with blood, and the sweatpants from before. Allen wiped his eyes. _Have I been crying?_ Allen wiped his tears away and could barely stand. He leaned against the wall for a minute before sinking in the silence. _I'm alone again..._He thought miserably and dropped to his knees. He couldn't stop the tears streaming down his face. He could barely move right now. It could be from all the blood loss but he didn't even process what was going on.

Allen shook his head and turned the faucet on. He cupped his hands and splashed cold water on his face. He coughed a bit before drying his hands off on the towel hanging on the rack. _Get a hold of yourself, Allen! You survived six years without knowing Lavi and in a hell house! You can do this! You've always been alone and you always will be. Face it._ Allen knew he wasn't always going to be alone, but he needed to get himself used to having bad days again. He grabbed a rag under the sink and wiped the floor up. He walked into the kitchen and took a bag out from under the sink. When he returned to the bathroom, he started picking up pieces of broken mirrors and placed them in the bag. He threw the bloodied glass away and wiped up the sink before finally grabbing his first aid kit. He took tweezers and started pulling all the broke pieces of glass out of his knuckles. He had to repeat this with his left, blackened hand. He never would've thought the blood in his left arm was black too. _That's actually pretty interesting. _Allen thought as he observed his knuckles.

Allen ignored his thoughts and patched up his knuckles before another sense of loneliness came over him. Did Lavi truly make him realize how alone he really felt? He survived just fine without Lavi hanging around...so then why couldn't he survive now? Allen just wanted to forget about Lavi altogether. His brain didn't seem to want to obey his commands. It was just so tired and was urging him to go to sleep. In response, Allen backed against the wall and curled up, hugging his knees and burying his face in them. He just wanted to feel like he was important again. Allen couldn't stop thinking about Lavi...even as he fell asleep against the wall.

"Oh my God, Allen, are you alright? Come on, wake up. Can you hear me?" Allen heard a familiar voice panicking. The person shook his shoulder and Allen winced. He heard the person then gasp because...there was probably blood all over his hand. _I probably look really bad right now..._Allen thought and lifted his gaze to stare into worried chocolate brown eyes that belonged to a certain blond haired man. Allen sighed and looked away from him.

"I'm fine..."

"You don't look fine...Allen...what happened?" He asked seriously. Allen rubbed his eyes.

"I...I don't know. All I can remember is...talking with Lavi and he...heard Madarao and I talking...about them trying to target him and...and he just..." Allen couldn't even say what was needed at the moment.

He was so lost right now. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. Link nodded his head in understanding. He glanced at the first aid kit and dragged it over. He started working on Allen's shoulder, grabbing a wipe and wiping it gently yet thoroughly. He slowed his wiping when he realized that there were scratch marks drawn all over the skin. _So he did this to himself..._Link observed and started wrapping his shoulder up. He then started on Allen's right wrist and paused whenever he noticed that there were past scars. _I wonder...how stable was he when he did this? _Allen looked away shamefully when he caught Link staring at his wrist. After patching it up, the bathroom remained silent.

Link bent down and secured Allen on his back before heaving him upstairs. He dragged him into Allen's room and laid him down on the bed gently. _I wonder how long he's been out...the blood had dried a bit when I got here..._Link thought and flicked off the light. He was about to walk out when he felt something tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Allen softly dropping his hand back on the bed. "...thank you..." He whispered. Link didn't know why he didn't resist the urge...he bent down and kissed Allen on the forehead before walking out of the room. That little piece of comfort was all Allen needed to fall back asleep and actually feel loved.

Meanwhile, Link walked downstairs and pulled his phone out to call Madarao. He originally came over to just ask Allen about any time Allen wanted to come to the Crow Cafe and the uniform he had to wear. Link thought that Allen could actually use some rest right now, so he didn't question about it. Allen was under too much stress at the moment to deal with work right now. Sure, he was allowed to go whenever, but if Link knew Allen, Allen would want to help out as much as possible, coming whenever he could and working hard. Link dialed the number and heard Madarao pick up immediately from HQ.

Lavi was there also...but Link didn't know that...

"Hello?" Madarao answered his phone and Tewaku took over the dish he was currently working on. Lavi looked over for a few seconds before returning to his dish duty. Anita seemed to be upset about something (most likely Cross) and refused to let Lavi do waiting work. "Oh, are you? That's great-wait, what? Allen's injured?" Lavi dropped a plate in the sink. Thankfully, it didn't break. Lavi shook his head, trying to get his mind off of Allen and continued washing the dishes. "Oh, well that's no good..." Madarao sighed.

"MADARAO! WHY ARE YOU ON THE PHONE?!" Anita roared and stormed over, snatching the phone from him. "Who is this?!" She asked harshly. Her face slowly started softening. "Oh, it's about Allen? Eh? Oh...dang, I was really hoping he could show up tomorrow. Alright, thank you for telling me...yeah, here's Madarao." Anita returned the phone to it's original owner and walked off. Lavi looked back at Madarao suspiciously, and Madarao returned the look with a scolding one before shaking his head.

"Sorry about that...so I guess he won't be working any time soon at Crow?...yeah I guess it does depend, huh?...well alright. I guess I'll see you around. Just let him rest for a little while. See you later." Madarao hung up and took over where Tewaku left off. Lavi watched him closely before returning to washing dishes again.

_I didn't hurt him...did I? _

Link stretched and kicked back on the couch. _I suppose I could just chill here for now. Leverrier's on vacation and probably won't be back for awhile...it's not like he would think badly about me for checking up on Allen. He should understand...he'll most likely think I'm keeping tabs on him again anyways...but seriously...what did Lavi say that made Allen snap so hard? _Link was left to his thoughts as he started shutting his brain down. He could vaguely feeling Timcanpy curling up on his lap before he fell asleep.

Link had the most rude awakening when he heard a loud, blaring noise resonate throughout the house. His eyes snapped open. He looked out the window, where Lavi was actually sitting on a swing chair and staring at Allen's house mischievously, and noticed that it was morning. _Shoot, did I sleep all day yesterday? _Link thought and noticed that he had a blanket drifted over him and was laying down. He found the owner of the sound when he saw Allen vacuuming the carpet. _What's he doing up? _Link thought and watched him sweep the floor with a serious look on his face. _What's he thinking about? _Link was left to wonder as he watched Allen roam around the house, cleaning whatever necessary. _He cleans when he's stressed..._Link remembered. Allen was flipping through some more mail he got and crumpled some notes up. Allen then started dusting the TV, finding nothing else to do. He was on his tip toes on a dining chair.

"I see you're feeling much better." Link commented as he stretched and stood up. Allen flipped out from the sudden noise and started falling backwards. Link rushed forward to catch him. Lavi's face was full of pure shock. He didn't even realize Link was in there. He did feel like a bit of a stalker, watching them through Allen's window. Allen and Link both blushed at each other. Link awkwardly stood him up straight and rubbed the back of his head. "Erm, sorry about that..." He mumbled.

"N-no, it's okay. You just scared me is all." Allen replied quietly. "Anyways, thank you for yesterday..." Allen mumbled embarrassingly.

"No need to thank me. Since you're feeling better, I have something to talk to you about." Link and Allen both sat down on the couch, where Lavi was eyeing them suspiciously from where he sat.

"Oh yeah...so why were you here anyways?" Allen asked curiously.

"Oh, I was running an errand for Madarao. Apparently I'm his 'messenger boy' now." Link grumbled. "He wanted me to ask you about the times you wanted to work at Crow Cafe." Link informed.

"Hm...I'm not sure, really. I guess I'll come in whenever. If he needs me to come in anytime, I'll gladly come in for him." Allen replied. Link sweat dropped. _Thought so..._

"I see, well how about around eight tonight?" Link suggested. Allen nodded.

"Yeah, I got to get to HQ for work. I think I get off at seven-thirty tonight." Allen said, tying a red ribbon around his neck. Link blinked.

"Anita said you didn't have to go if you didn't want to." Link informed.

"I think I'll go anyways. I haven't been there a lot lately. I'm sure she could use the help." Allen replied. Link nodded and watched as Allen pulled on a coat. It was November after all...it was surely starting to get cold now. Link seemed a bit unsure about leaving.

"I'll just...stay here..." Link said awkwardly as Allen left. Allen raised his eyebrows and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Link." Allen waved and jogged over to his car. He threw the driver's door open and hopped in. The car roared to life and Allen drove off, keeping his eye on the time, as well as the road. A little while later, Lavi left as well. When Allen walked through the door, he was instantly glomped by Anita. Allen deadpanned and the whole restaurant laughed.

"Oh, you're alright! Are you feeling okay?" Anita asked, sniffling. Allen gave her a weird look before awkwardly removing her from him.

"Do your actions have anything to do with Cross leaving?" Allen questioned. Anita sighed and her tears that were once there before had magically disappeared.

"Yeah, that bastard. Wait...how did you know that he left?" Anita questioned somewhat suspiciously. Allen sighed.

"He dumped all his bills on me yesterday..." He mumbled as his head dropped low. A very crooked, evil smile grew on her face.

"Oh did he? Say, will you give them to me?" Anita asked in a giggly way. Allen was pretty spooked by her new attitude.

"Um...I guess. They're at my house though." Allen spoke as he walked to the kitchen. He walked in and received many odd looks from the top chefs.

"Oh, couldn't you run home and get them? Oh by the way, can you take dish duty before you leave?" Anita asked.

"Um...no I can't go get them right now and I guess that will be fine..." Allen responded to each of her questions skillfully.

"Yo, Allen! I thought you weren't feeling okay?" Madarao piped up, walking over. Allen gave him an odd look.

"Well, I'm not sick if that's what you're talking about." Allen replied, taking out ingredients and looking at the list of foods that was placed on his tray a few moments ago by some random waiter. Anita also looked a little concerned as well.

"Well, I'm going to go now. I'll check up on you later." Anita said and waved to them as she exited through the kitchen doors. Allen was silent for a long time.

"What does she even do here?" Allen asked blankly. Madarao shrugged.

"She's attractive." Madarao guessed.

"Right. Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to work in peace." Allen stated as he started chopping up vegetables.

Lavi walked through the door and Allen instantly looked anywhere but the door. Everyone could slowly feel the awkwardness creeping up on the kitchen as Lavi made his way to the cleaning closet. They didn't hire janitors. If you signed up for HQ, you cleaned, waited and cooked if you were good enough. Allen learned that later in his life working at HQ. The tense mood seemed to make everyone feel awkward. Everyone could tell that it was coming from Allen and Lavi. Madarao also found their behavior odd. Usually Lavi would greet Allen with a big grin and tackle him in a playful manner, mess with him a little and run off to do his work, cheering Allen up a bit more. But now...Allen just seemed so...serious...as well as Lavi.

Things just didn't feel right anymore.

* * *

**BAM. DONE. HERE IS YOUR CHAPTER. ENJOY (HATE) IT IMMENSELY. BECAUSE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE ANGSTY AS WELL AND THERE WILL BE MUSIC INVOLVED. Hate me all you want, this is all a part of my master plan. To actually _get them together. _So what do you say to that?! BAM. Your argument is invalid! I hate distractions, I really do.  
Tyki: You're a horrible person...  
Vira: NO Sparkle-de-Cat is horrible person! THEY SAID THEY WERE GONNA EAT ALL MY GLITTER.  
Tyki: -winces from loud voice- Um...I think you need to go to rehab... -escorts Vira out of the room and into a rehab center where Road is awkwardly patting her back as she sobbed all over the table- Well, now that that's over. Vira would like to thank all of you who reviewed. -reads off paper- Thank you to bookspazz55, Shirubagure (I WUV YOUUUUU), Kinue, Snipperita, NoName-chan, smileysparklea, Lyokni, Sparkle-de-Cat (You evil, evil, evil, evil person!), midnightstardust, Gratsu-Dragon, The Amazing Emiko-chan, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad (-stares-), xXlovinlavenXx, Guesty Guest, Guest, Usagi-Twins, and merp for reviewing. (I'm not putting lemons in here...I'm not exactly 18-PFFT AGE IS OVER-RATED! But still...some people who aren't age appropriate/not mature (NOT CALLING YOU GUYS IMMATURE...CRAP...) to read that, ya know? Plus my friend would flip if she saw it was rated M) -Inhales deeply- How...does...she...say...all of that...in one breath...? -suddenly gets hit over the head with a frying pan-  
I'm back~!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Cutting it short here because I gotta go eat my dinner...which is breakfast. I'm having breakfast for dinner! xD Everyone's had those nights...mmm French Toast :3 VoTe FoR ThE PoLL (It feels like I haven't said this in forever xD)**

* * *

Anita gazed at the bright, neon clock on the wall that read 7:15pm. Allen was supposed to get off work around 7:30..._so I should probably check up on him now. _Anita thought. She was actually currently bartending. She left her job to Tokusa, who gave her the most odd look ever since he was a head chef and not a bartender, and opened the kitchen doors slight. Lavi was just cleaning up and Allen was washing dishes

Something seemed entirely wrong with this situation. She shook her head and focused on the task at hand: checking on Allen. She plopped down beside him with a short greeting, which he replied back with a polite smile...a _strained_ polite smile. She sat there quietly, gazing at the clock a few times as she did so as to tell Allen that she was merely waiting to discharge him for the night. Her curious gaze lingered to his hands. His knuckles-the both of them-were bandaged up thickly and he also had a bandage around his right wrist. Allen had also glanced at the time, not liking her lingering stare at all. He just needed to wash a few more dishes before he could leave. Hopefully, Anita wouldn't ask any-

"Hey, Allen?" _Shoot._

"Hm?" He hummed back as he rinsed and dried the rest of the dishes quickly. Allen reached up on his toes to put a plate away when he felt her grab his hand. Allen stared at her and she stared back determinedly. He cleared his throat and gestured to the plate that was slowly slipping from his grip.

_This isn't going to end up well..._

"What's wrong with your hands?" She asked seriously. Allen was glad that she mumbled since Lavi was in the room. Little did Allen know, he could hear every word that they were saying. He glanced over but quickly looked away when he had seen enough.

"Nothing is-ow!" Allen yelped as she squeezed his wrist, causing him to drop the plate. She immediately let go when she saw the plate falling. She was a bit too late and the plate had already cracked over his head. He let out a soft shout of pain. Anita gave him a scolding look.

"It doesn't look that way." She said, simply ignoring the fact that he just got knocked over the head with a plate and was now gripping the counter and his head in pain.

"Well, I did just get hit over the head with a _glass_ plate." Allen grumbled.

"You wouldn't have gotten hit if it was nothing." She reasoned.

"Agh, you don't just...just forget it." Allen grumbled and yanked his sleeves down harshly. He applied his gloves and started walking off when Anita grabbed his left shoulder. Allen flinhed away from her. "Would you please quit touching me?" Allen asked as calmly as he could.

"I'm just trying to help, Allen." She replied. She didn't seem hurt at all by his suggestion.

"Cracking a plate over my head isn't helping, Anita." He replied back.

"That was an accident and besides, you deserved it-" She didn't even get to finish when she saw a pained expression cross Allen's face. He turned around and threw open the doors of the kitchen. There were barely any customers now though. "Wait, Allen, I didn't mean it like that!" She tried to get to him but a customer crossed her path as she did so and they both tumbled to the ground. When she looked up, Allen was already gone.

"Dear me, I'm sorry." A gentle voice said, reminding her of the young man that just ran out the door.

"Ah, no I'm fine." She picked herself up and looked at the man in front of her. He had dazzling golden eyes, beautifully tanned skin, and lush dark brown hair that was messily ruffled. His face brightened when he saw her name tag. She read his as well, finding that he worked at the Ark Mall and that his name was Neah. Neah Walker..._wait, isn't that Allen's uncle who never saw him for the past six years?_ Anita questioned herself.

"You must be the manager! Finally! I've been searching everywhere. Say, my nephew works here, do you have any clue where he's at?" Neah asked politely.

"Um, you just missed him." Anita supplied. Neah seemed shocked.

"Did I really?! Shoot. Thank you, I guess. That little rascal. Well, goodbye then." He waved before disappearing. Anita shook her head. _Maybe I should call Allen..._

"Anita!" She heard a fellow employee shout. /...later./ She decided and headed towards where she just heard the shout come from.

Meanwhile, Allen was texting Link for Madarao's number in a nearby cafe. It was so warm inside compared to the blistering cold winds outside. _Why do I have a feeling snow will come early this year?_ Allen asked himself as he dabbed his forehead with a slightly damp napkin, thanks to the waitress, Sachiko, who was still dead set on him being a model or something like that. He ordered a small Creme Brulee cappuccino with a lot of sugar...only because he had to order something. He'd hate to loiter around without buying anything. Sachiko appeared later with his cappuccino. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. It was perfect. Allen noted to himself to come by again sometime and try out their desserts.

"So, are you dating anyone?" Sachiko asked, sitting down in front of him. _Isn't she supposed to be working?_

"No." Allen replied softly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, really?" She asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Before you say anything else, I'd like to inform you that I'm gay." Allen mumbled openly through his cup. She pouted in response.

"No fair." She whined. "All the good guys are either gay, taken, or womanizers! You know what I mean right?" Sachiko looked at him with her large brown eyes.

"I know exactly what you mean." He replied glumly. She seemed to have a new excitement burning in her eyes. Allen received Madarao's number and added it in to his contacts. He frowned when it was placed directly under Lavi's name. He should've gotten Lenalee's number when he had the chance. Just looking at the name of his all-time crush hurt.

"So who're you texting?" She asked playfully.

"I was actually getting a number. I need to text my employer." He replied.

"Boring. Don't you go out on dates or anything? You seem like a uke to me." Sachiko commented, giggling afterwards. Allen deadpanned. How many times has Fou told him that? He couldn't even count. No matter how many times he asked her what it meant, she wouldn't tell him...that or he just couldn't remember what she ever said.

"Say, Sachiko...what's an uke?" He asked seriously. Sachiko's face lit up. She didn't think she actually said that out loud.

"Uh..." She muttered, averting her gaze and blushing deeper.

"DON'T TELL HIM WHAT IT IS!" They heard a loud screech. All Allen saw was a flash of bright orange when he was tackled to the ground.

"Oof...F-Fou?!" Allen gasped. He winced at his shoulder but said nothing about it. Sachiko stared at Fou for a long time...as well as the rest of the cafe. Allen puffed out his cheeks at her. She giggled and poked his cheek.

"You look like a cute blow fish when you do that." She informed and pushed herself off the ground, landing on her feet. She planted them to the floor and yanked Allen up. "Long time no see!" She grinned. _Didn't we just see each other two days ago? It does feel like it's been longer..._/

"What brings you here, Fou?" Allen asked, sitting back down in front of his coffee. He took a swig and Fou ordered some as well, sending Sachiko off so she could talk with Allen in private.

"So what's with the awkward tension between you and Lavi?" Fou asked bluntly. Allen choked on his coffee.

"I-it's nothing r-really. We just..." Allen paused. _We just what? Broke it off? I can't tell her that or she'll flip out..._Allen chewed on his lip. Fou could see the pained expression behind his eyes. He wouldn't look her in the eyes and looked away from her. She looked down and saw that some of his sleeve was up, also catching sight of a bandage wrapped around his right wrist. She stood up abruptly, scooting her chair out and storming out the door.

_...oops?_

Sachiko returned, only to find Allen alone again. He seemed...nervous about something.

"Everything alright?" She asked, setting what was originally Fou's coffee down in front of him. Allen took Fou's coffee since he really didn't expect her to come back. She seemed infuriated with him for some reason. Allen didn't know what he did wrong, but he guessed that he would just have to ask her about it later. He didn't know what else to do about her attitude...

"Everything's fine. Anyways, I've got to go, I guess I'll see you later." Allen mumbled as he put money on the table and stood up.

"Oh hey, wait!" Sachiko called after him. Allen stopped and waited for her to run over. "Say, do you like shopping? I know Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming up soon and I need someone to shop with!" She explained. _Is that some gay stereotype or something?_ Allen thought...even though he really did love to shop.

"I do like shopping actually...are you implying that we go shopping together sometime?" Allen asked. She nodded her head in excitement. "It won't be a bother to me. Of course I'll go shopping with you." Allen said with a smile. She clapped her hands excitedly and waved him goodbye.

Allen drove to Crow Cafe using directions via Madarao. When he arrived, he was a bit surprised. The outside of the cafe looked dusty and abandoned and Allen was starting to doubt whether Madarao actually got customers often. He left his vehicle, locking it behind him, and entered the cafe cautiously. When he got inside...he received the shock of a lifetime. It was the most fanciest restaurant he had ever been in, lights lit up in gold and the cafe decorated in black. _Kinda like an actual crow,_ Allen mused. He felt a hand set itself on his shoulder and looked up to see Madarao.

"Good evening, Madarao." Allen greeted.

"Evening." He replied and instantly escorted him on a tour of Crow Cafe. He noticed one thing for sure: It was filled with guys. Each time he passed by a guy, they tended to stare at him and check him out. Madarao noticed Allen's uneasiness as he looked around. "You don't like it?" Madarao asked. Allen quickly shook his head.

"It's not that...it just feels like everyone's...staring at me..." Allen mumbled.

"Well it is a gay cafe, so that's a bit expected." Allen was startled by Madarao's comment.

"It's a w-what?!" He asked incredulously, causing Madarao to chuckle.

"You heard me. I didn't think it would be a problem considering your sexuality." Allen was silent but secretly thought: _how did he even know that I was gay? Did Lavi tell him?_ Allen's mood shifted glumly when he thought about Lavi. Madarao stopped his chattering when he noticed Allen's depressed mood. "I've been meaning to ask though...what's going on between you and Lavi? You two seem tense around each other..." Madarao stated, watching his reaction warily. Allen only seemed to be even more saddened by Madarao's question. Allen rubbed his face with stress.

"Ugh...nothing much really, he just overheard us talking about...you know." Allen replied tiredly.

"The gang?" Madarao questioned. Allen nodded.

"Yeah...he's mad at me for...you know...not telling him that they just might be targeting him. I called him later and he just...got all upset. I don't think I'm going to be seeing him anytime soon..." Allen mumbled glumly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up at HQ when he was around..." Madarao mumbled back.

"It's not your fault, I should've told him about it sooner. I was just afraid that something like this would happen once I told him..." Allen muttered somewhat bitterly. It was odd to see Allen in such a down-put mood like this. It made Madarao feel really bad for bringing up the topic that sent Lavi away.

"Well, I have someone I want you to meet." Madarao piped up, hoping to gain Allen's interest. Allen didn't seem interested in all but he tried to look interested.

"Who?" Allen asked.

"Follow me...now when you see him...don't freak out." Madarao smirked when his words had Allen interested at the 'don't freak out' part. Madarao led him around the unusually large cafe and to a corner where a few pool tables were stored. _What kind of cafe has pool tables? Then again, HQ has a cafe, restaurant, and bar smashed together..._Allen thought. "Allen, this is Deak, Lavi's brother." Madarao introduced.

Allen looked up and his jaw wanted to hit the floor when he saw someone who looked _exactly_ like Lavi. Well...not exactly...there were a few differences but Allen could tell them apart. Deak's one green eye had more experience and hurt to it. He had much more of a mature personality than Lavi's hyper persona. His hair had parted more over his right eye and hung around to frame his face rather than up in a headband like Lavi's. Deak looked up from his spot where he was leaning against the pool table. He saw the familiar look Allen gave him and hit the blank ball, scoring three in the holes.

"Hey." Deak waved. Madarao leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

"He's in love with your twin brother." Madarao whispered. Deak's eyebrows shot upwards and Allen gave him a wary glance.

Lavi said nothing to him about having a 'twin' brother-or better yet, having a brother at all! Then again...Lavi didn't talk to him about having a family at all...he only spoke about his grandfather that took care of him. _I wonder if him and his family don't get along very well...not that he'd ever tell me..._Deak walked around the table and held out his left hand to shake his hand with. Allen's eyes darted over to Madarao and back at Deak suspiciously. _Did Madarao tell him something about my arm? _Allen wondered. Deak switched to his right hand, sensing Allen's uneasiness.

"I'm left handed." Deak explained, hoping that Allen wouldn't just leave him hanging on the handshake. Allen carefully held his hand against Deak's and shook it. Deak smiled at him and Allen seemed nervous around him.

"He's going to be our new karaoke singer here since the last one bailed out on us." Madarao informed. Deak nodded at Allen respectively. Allen blushed at the respected look and avoided eye contact with the redhead.

"Well, I need to go talk with everyone now. You are welcome to leave whenever you want, but make sure you call me tomorrow so I'll know when the next time it is you're singing." Madarao said to Allen, who wasn't necessarily paying attention. Said boy blinked when Madarao started walking away.

"Oh hey, wait!" Allen started after Madarao and froze when he felt Deak grab him by the wrist.

Allen felt really uncomfortable then, feeling a small stinging pain from the more deep cuts from before. Allen looked back at Deak and gulped. He didn't think he'd be able to talk to Deak straight. Sure, he could tell the difference from them quite clearly...but Deak was Lavi's twin brother...and it just felt awkward becase Allen was falling head over heels for Lavi. Did he twin brother even get along with him? Deak's grip only seemed to tighten when Allen looked like he wanted to run away. Allen winced but said nothing. Instead, he and Deak were staring into each others eyes. Allen gulped nervously.

"Come with me." He mumbled and pulled Allen out of the cafe as Madarao announced that they would finally be having a new karaoke singer. Everyone seemed delighted at the idea. Madarao described Allen and many of the men who were listening in would stare over at Deak, who was currently dragging their new singer away. Deak stopped pulling him away when they made it to the parking lot. Allen started backing away from him uncomfortably until his lower back collided with his car. He shivered and paused when he felt a soft yet cold substance that made it's way all over his car.

Snow.

It was snowing. Deak walked over to where Allen was inspecting his hand, where tiny snowflakes were taking refuge. Allen didn't even notice Deak's presence until the man had grasped his gloved hand with his own warm one. Allen looked up at the man with a puzzled expression in his eyes. The expression faded away and they exchanged thoughts and so many words with each other just by looking in each others' eyes. _He's perfect..._Deak thought softly to himself. Deak could see many experiences of pain and agony in Allen's eyes, but he could also see forgiveness that longed to be given. He saw silver pools that longed for attention, which only a certain one could supply. Most of all he saw love. Love that wasn't for himself but for another fool that looked like him. Even though he could see hurt and rejection in Allen's eyes, he saw that Allen was willing to forgive and love whoever had rejected him in the first place.

Lavi.

So Deak came to a decision. One that could get his ass killled by the hands of his very own brother. If he didn't see it, Deak wouldn't have believed someone like Allen could hold love for his brother, for his brother was a very opposing fool that was too blinded by lust to see what was in front of him. But Allen was that special person that Lavi needed in his life-Deak could see it. Allen willingly loved him, which brought Deak to remember the first time Lavi fell in love with someone. But she turned around and shattered his heart so that he could no longer longer love anyone the same over again. But maybe, just maybe...

Allen could pick up the pieces.

Hope filled his heart. Maybe Allen could help Lavi. Deak decided to do something rash. Something his mother and father wouldn't forgive him for. He decided to help his 'delinquent' of a brother. Allen was just who Lavi needed. Deak's thoughts drifted away and he came back to the real world. He blinked and smiled down at Allen. Allen gave a stiff smile back.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Allen." Deak said softly. Allen stared at him with an expectant look. "Can you take me to Lavi?" Deak asked and regretted asking, seeing the look of hurt and loneliness in his eyes.

"Sure...I should warn you not to mention me though...we're not exactly on good terms right now..." Allen mumbled and freed his hand from Deak's.

_Of course he asks about Lavi..._Allen sighed and unlocked his door. He got in and started the car, flicking the seat warmer buttons and heater on. Deak got in the passneger's side and stared at Allen the entire way to his house. Allen was only wondering how Deak had gotten to Crow Cafe...he didn't walk in this blasted cold weather, did he? Allen slowed down to a stop. He was just about to turn on his street when the light turned red. They sat there in awkward silence, mostly because Deak wouldn't stop analyzing him. Allen was immensely relieved when the light turned green and turned a few more streets before he made it up his gravel driveway. He stopped and got out. Deak got out of the car as well. It was now well around 8:30...Allen gestured to the house beside his, explaining that Lavi lived right next to him. He waved Deak goodbye and closed the door behind him, loneliness returning to him once again. The house was empty. Link had texted him before, talking about how Leverrier came back from vacation early and he had to leave.

"Meow." Allen was startled by Timcanpy's greeting. He still hadn't gotten used to Timcanpy being there. The cat always seemed to be elsewhere with Mugen most likely. Allen bent down and patted Timcanpy on the head. He walked into the kitchen and refilled Timcanpy's food and water bowl. Timcanpy seemed uninterested in the food Allen had poured him...this made Allen curious. Timcanpy always ate whenever Allen fed him. Allen noticed Timcanpy looking over at the basement suggestively. Allen still didn't get it. Timcanpy rolled his eyes, Allen responding by giving him an incredulous look. He didn't think that cats could actually roll their eyes...

Timcanpy was a very special cat, however.

Allen hadn't even noticed how big Timcanpy had gotten. He didn't know how the golden cat ever got food since Allen never fed him since he was never home. The cat had most likely mooched food off of the neighbors. Allen shook his head and focused at the matter at hand. Timcanpy started walking off and Allen didn't know what else to do but follow him. Timcanpy led him down into the basement. Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, Allen froze. He heard quiet noises coming from the cat bed he had bought for Timcanpy when he first got him. Allen approached the cat bed with caution and paled when he saw four little kittens mewling for their mother in the bed. Allen face palmed. _Great. Just perfect...where's Mugen at at a time like this? They need milk from their mother! I can't give them actual milk-though I've heard they drink goat milk sometimes..._Allen's thoughts ceased when he saw a black cat skip into the room and over to the cat bed.

"Mugen? Okay, Timcanpy, how do you guys keep getting in and out of here?" Allen asked his cat, not really expecting it to respond...but it did.

Timcanpy looked over somewhere pointedly. Allen looked over and his jaw nearly dropped. He remembered when he first moved in, he piled boxes among boxes up against a wall and opened a window because it had been so hot out. The window must have remained open this entire time...that must have been how Timcanpy had been getting in and out lately...Allen could only hope that the kittens were brought in through the window. He didn't want to find cat womb blood anywhere anytime soon. Allen walked over to the window and shut it firmly.

"I hope you don't mind staying here for awhile, Mugen." Allen spoke to Kanda's cat, which seemed disinterested with the subject. She wouldn't even look at him. _Like owner like cat?_ Allen mused in his head. He patted the two cats on the head before heading upstairs. He nearly jumped a foot in the air when he saw Deak standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?!" Allen hissed and stormed over. Deak was somewhat surprised by his bitter attitude. He actually expected the younger to hit him. He didn't move though. Allen walked straight past him and closed the door before shivering. "You're letting all the cold in!" Deak then couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry." He apologized. Allen paused for a second.

"What are you doing here?" He asked the red head softly. Deak smiled a little.

"It seems a little lonely here." Deak commented, avoiding Allen's first question. Allen was silent for a few minutes.

"I guess..." He replied and surveyed his living room. "I usually let people stay over if they have no where else to go. My friends usually move here a lot and don't have anywhere to stay, so I let them stay here." Allen explained sadly. They had all left him now and he felt extremely lonely.

"You're truly too nice for your own good...so does that mean you'll let me stay here for the time being?" Deak asked. Allen raised his eyebrows. "If it's no trouble..." He started.

"It isn't...but do you seriously need to stay here?" Allen asked. Deak shrugged.

"Well..." He started but Allen cut him off with a wave.

"You can tell me later. For now, I'm going to take a shower." Allen retorted and left Deak to himself as he walked upstairs. After a few minutes, Deak could hear the shower start to run. Deak sat on the couch and waited, thinking about his and Lavi's conversation earlier ago...

_Lavi stared at him in shock and disbelief. His twin brother was standing on his porch. His twin brother, which he hadn't seen since forever ago...was standing on his porch with a saddened look. He was even more shocked when Deak had apologized to him about their parents' reaction to Lavi's...sexual orientation. The truth was, once Lavi came out and said that he didn't mind 'bedding' either sex, his parents had kicked him out of the house and never wanted anything to do with him again. Instead, they kept bragging about Deak and how he should follow his brother's example. At the time, Deak only ever worried about school and whatnot instead of getting involved with anyone intimately. He still saw Lavi at school from time to time, but they barely even talked with each other...it was then one day that Lavi came to hate Deak._

_Deak was talking to him about the importance of intelligence and taking over their fathers historian company. Lavi was all caught up in friends, partying, and having fun anyway possible so he never paid attention to trying to take over the company. Deak scolded Lavi mildly for that. Deak knew that Lavi was more fit to become head of the company than him. He respected his brother's knowledge and didn't want it to go to waste. Lavi replied back by saying he would rather take over the business of Old Man Bookman than take over for his judgemental parents. The two didn't speak to each other since then. Deak often checked up on Lavi from time to time, only to see that he was having the time of his life._

_They envied each other._

_Lavi envied Deak for being someone so perfect in their parents eyes and Deak envied Lavi for being able to have so many friends who loved him for who he was. Deak didn't have friends like Lavi did. Deak's friends consisted of girls whose parents knew his parents and they wanted to set up a marriage for them...despite the fact that it was well past that age of time. Deak despised Lavi but he still cared for him. It usually hurt him whenever people mistook him for his brother. Lavi was popular and he was anything but popular. _

_It was one day that Deak saw Lavi proclaiming his love to the girl he was 'supposed to marry.' The girl outright refused Lavi and gave him a look of disgust. Deak could see him die a little inside right then and there. From then on, Lavi didn't fully trust anyone he crushed on. He could never say the words 'I love you' so easily to a girl he dated. When he did, Deak could hear so much falseness in his voice it was ridiculous. After high school...Deak lost any connection he had to his brother. He could no longer track him down like he could in high school. It was then one day where Deak was reading a book that he met a boy. The boy started talking to him and actually struck up a conversation with him. Deak was surprised but he actually admired the boy for talking to him. He never saw what the boy looked like...but he did bring up an interesting topic to him. _

_He asked Deak if it was wrong for a man to love another man._

_This was a fellow Senior, a classmate, asking him about the subject, just wanting his opinion of the idea. Deak didn't expect the question and replied back with sincerity. This sincerity being that he 'really didn't know what was right and wrong anymore.' Deak truly wished that the boy would leave him alone about the topic then but the boy didn't. They ended up having an entire conversation about it. They stayed in the library together for hours just talking about that simple subject. By the end of the day when they parted..._

_Deak found himself attracted to the boy._

_He met him the next day and they continued to be friends for the rest of the school year. It was then at the last day of school, after the graduation ceremony, that Deak had confessed his feelings to the boy. The boy stared at him in shock and recovered a few minutes later. He apologized deeply to Deak for 'leading him on' and said that he already had someone he loved. It broke Deak's heart to the point he told his parents about it. His parents were truly disappointed in him and kicked him out as well._

_From that day forward, Deak found himself more attracted to guys than girls. He couldn't look at a girl and think of her as 'gorgeous' or any of that nonsense. He could only determine between guys. He chuckled at himself, literally telling himself that the boy he met had 'turned him gay' as people would call it. That was when Deak started staying at Crow Cafe. Deak worked there as a janitor for awhile and eventually became a co-manager of it. \par_  
_After Deak had apologized to his brother...Lavi had shook his head and explained to Deak how confused he was. So Deak decided to make a date with Lavi so that they could catch up sometime. Lavi agreed and closed his door. That was when Deak was stuck. He would usually return to Crow Cafe to rest there because they had extra beds in the back if someone overworked...but it was too far now. So he returned to Allen's flat and hoped for the best. He was mildly thankful to Allen. Who knew that Allen would always let people stay here? He should've met him sooner!_

So here Deak sat now in Allen's house, planning his next move.

* * *

**Betcha didn't expect _that _did ya! Yeah, I gave the persona Deak his own persona and created a whole different person! So, how shocked are you rating from 1-10? IT BETTER BE A 10 CAUSE I THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT THIS! Speaking of long...I didn't expect this chapter to be so long...whatever, you guys deserve it for waiting so long...I actually got a few PMs asking when I was going to update FI and I was like I'M SO SORRY! Really, I am. My email deleted the second half (85%) of the story and I had to rewrite it on my mini-laptop (which was really difficult because of the tiny keys!). But I got it done! ^-^ So yeah...twins...heh...I love twins! They're _amazing. _Heh, you guys thought Link was gonna be involved, didn't ya? But NOPE. REJECTED! But anyways, thank you to all of the 48 voters for voting for my poll. Please make sure to vote for the poll on your way out! -Pulls out long list- Thank you to Shirubagure (-squeals- I love you, I love you, I love youuuu!), NoName-chan (since you want it so bad -rape face- silly girl ;3), midnightstardust, smileysparklea, Sparkle-de-Cat, bookspazz55, Snipperita (you mean 40?), Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad (don't cry! D:), Kinue, spoons-are-evil (Oh yeah, I know that feeling and me too! I always think of Zelda when typing the name Link down xD), Usagi-Twins (IT'S CALLED ANGST! XD), The Amazing Emiko-chan, the3leonine, Guesty Guest, xXlovinlavenXx (-blushes mildly- you...don't know...? Google it...I'm not about to explain this xD), MaxAngelOfDeath, and konichi-e24 for reviewing.  
Tyki: I still don't know how you can read all that in one breath...  
Vira: -screams- I thought I knocked you out!  
Tyki: -sweat drops- Yeah, that was like last week?  
Vira: -cries but then suddenly gets happy- EVERYONE'S GIVING ME GLITTER I'M SO HAPPY! :D -rolls around in glitter-  
Tyki: ...weirdo...**


	45. Chapter 45

**So I have a Facebook for my FFN now. You guys should add me! No...you better add me!...pretty please? 9~9 I feel lonely! All I've been doing is playing Candy Crush on it...it would be easier to chat with everyone here and I would feel awesome to be able to chat with you guys! I don't care if you all make another Facebook for FFN and then add me xD Well...anyways...I guess I'll continue on with the story since that's what you've all been waiting for v.v the link to my Facebook is on my profile! (As well as the poll so get to it! xD) Anyways, this chapter might be a little short and I apologize severely! I kept on getting distracted ever since I came home :S I hope you guys still enjoy the chapter though!**

* * *

Allen had felt mildly refreshed once he stepped out of the shower. He almost forgot that Deak was still there. He slid on his clothes and pulled on some shoes. He was tired, but he needed to go to the store and get Mugen some softened food as suggested for cats giving milk. Who cares if he showed up at the store in just his pajamas, a jacket and gloves? Okay...maybe he looked a little weird, but Mugen needed the right food for correct nourishment. He fiddled with the jacket's zipper and his phone started vibrating like crazy. He grumbled at the distraction and picked up. "Hello?"

It was Cross.

He started complaining about receiving the bills. Which was weird, because one, Allen didn't move the bills from their respective places on the table and two, Allen didn't even know where Cross went, so how was he supposed to send the bills back? It confused Allen to no end. He did remember Anita asking for the bills earlier ago, but how would she even get in his house? And wouldn't Deak stop her if she somehow got in his house anyways? Unless Deak let her through...?

"No, I didn't send them. How can I send them if I don't even know where you're at?!" Allen reasoned as he jogged downstairs. He took the last step and looked up and froze in his tracks, nearly dropping his phone. Standing in the living room was Fou with her hand pointing at Deak pointedly. Deak was crossing his arms, staring at Fou like she was some deranged, three-headed dog. "I-I'll c-call you back." Allen quickly hung up and stared at Fou in disbelief.

"Allen, who is she? She kept trying to strangle me." Deak grumbled. Allen sweat dropped.

"Don't play dumb with me, Lavi!" Fou smacked him upside the head. Deak growled at her. Allen hurriedly snatched her hand and laid it down.

"Fou, this isn't Lavi." Allen said cautiously, watching her reaction closely. She deadpanned.

"Are you blind or somethin'?" Fou asked, waving a hand in front of Allen's face. Allen swatted the hand away, a bit annoyed.

"No, I'm not blind. His name is Deak. He's Lavi's twin brother." Allen informed and crossed his arms just as Deak had done. A look of pure shock was etched onto Fou's face.

"LAVI HAS A TWIN?! How did I _not _see that coming?!" She huffed and crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Obviously..." Deak grumbled. Allen looked at Fou expectantly.

"What?" She asked.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Allen asked sternly. Fou rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine. Deak, I'm sorry for attacking, strangling and punching you." Allen gave Fou an exasperated look. "So what, you can't get Lavi so you date his twin?" Fou asked nonchalantly. Allen felt a little offended at her and gawked at her guess.

"No! Deak needed somewhere to stay. You should know how that feels seeing as you stayed here too!" Allen grumbled. Fou huffed.

"Yeah, but I'm a girl." She said.

"Narain stayed here too." Allen replied.

"But he's a childhood friend." She reasoned. Allen rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know there were rules for me to shelter friends at my house." Allen said.

"Of course! What if he like rapes you in the middle of the night?!" She exclaimed. Allen and Deak just _stared _at her.

"You know, Fou, I would really love to know what goes on in that head of yours sometimes." Allen said quietly, thinking to himself. He shuddered, _actually, I don't think I want to know..._

"Okay, why would I rape him?" Deak asked casually.

"Why _wouldn't _you rape him?" Fou asked nonchalantly. Allen blushed deeply.

"Can we _please _stop talking about this?! He is not going to..." Allen trailed off, finding it hard to even say. Fou chuckled and patted Allen on the head.

"Awe, you're so shy." She cooed, ruffling his hair.

"I am not! This topic is just awkward!" He puffed his cheeks out at her. She just giggled and ruffled his hair some more. "You're so cute when you make that face!" She commented. Allen stopped puffing his cheeks out and looked away. "Well, I'm going out real quick. Mugen needs some specific food." Allen explained and made for the door. Fou stopped him before he could make it to the door.

"Wait, _Mugen? _Since when are you taking care of _Mugen?" _Fou asked, exasperated.

"Since she brought her kittens in my basement." Allen answered.

"Does Kanda know about this?" Fou asked. Allen gave her a 'what do you think?' look. She nodded her head. "Yeah, that's understandable, he'd probably flip his shit if he found out your cat got his cat pregnant." Allen sighed, waiting for Fou to either leave, move, or give him her point.

"Well, can I go now that you're done interrogating me?" Allen asked hopefully. Fou nodded and Allen started past her. She grabbed him by the scruff and Allen grumbled and stared at her. "What now?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"Do you _seriously _think I'm going to let you go to the store _alone?" _She asked. Allen heaved a sigh.

"Fou, I'm pretty sure I'm old enough to go to the store alone. I did go to work alone. Oh, and I got home alo-oh wait no, Deak was with me then." Allen remembered. Fou raised her eyebrows and chuckled.

"What, did you go to a gay cafe and bring a gay guy home with you?" She laughed. Deak and Allen were both silent because that was, oddly enough, _exactly _what happened. She deadpanned and stared at Allen with a blank face. "Are you serious? Did I seriously just get that right? Did you _seriously _go to a gay cafe and bring a gay guy home? Did that seriously-" Allen cut her off, tired of her rambling.

"Yes, okay? Yes, I brought a gay guy home from a gay cafe, but he needed to see Lavi! What else was I supposed to do?!" Allen asked.

"You know...you kind of sound like a little girl whining to her mom about bringing home a stray kitten." Fou stated. Allen face palmed.

"Fou, please." Allen rolled his eyes. Fou raised her hands up protectively, dropping Allen on his feet in the process.

"Hey, I'm just trying to avoid you getting jumped in another alley and hit over the head with a pipe again." She explained. Allen pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Fou, that was months ago." Allen reasoned. Deak gave Allen a blank look. Were they serious.

"Well I'm not taking any chances." She grumbled, crossing her arms. Allen rolled his eyes at her. Did she not realize what happened just a few months ago? His scar did change after all, you would think that she would've realized that by now.

"Fou, I can take care of myself." Allen said.

"Prove it." She said and crossed his arms. Allen rolled his eyes and passed by her, completely fearless. He stood outside for a few seconds. Fou counted down from three off her fingers. Once they were all down, Allen had sprinted inside and grabbed at his arms. Deak raised his eyebrows.

"C-cold!" He exclaimed, shivering.

"That's what happens when you don't dress right." Fou said, draping a blanket around Allen's shoulders. Allen wondered where she got the blanket from but dismissed it quickly. He sighed and sat down on the couch, crossing his arms. Did Fou seriously have to treat him like a child? He was eighteen now-an adult! Not to mention he was turning nineteen next month! Or was he already nineteen? He would never know. "How about you and Deak stay here while I go out and get you some cat food?" Fou suggested. Allen reached in his back pocket and grudgingly threw his wallet at her. She poked through it. "So how much does cat food co-holy shit! How much cash do you carry on you?!" She asked. Allen blushed and looked away. Hey, Tyki never taught him how to manage a bank account! It wasn't his fault!

"I don't want to talk about that..." Allen mumbled. Fou snickered.

"You probably don't even know how to work a bank account." She laughed. Deak was a bit amused with their conversation and smirked.

"Give me a break! I lived with _Cross, _for Christ's sake!" Allen huffed.

"Good point there." Fou replied, nodding. "Well, I'll see you two later!" She waved and skipped out of Allen's house. Allen sent the door she just left through a suspicious look.

Why would Fou try so hard to keep him inside?

Fou meanwhile was walking out of the door with her phone and Allen's keys in her hand. She was staring at the message she just sent a familiar blond haired man just a few seconds ago as she heated up the car. Link had texted her yesterday about an important matter. She continued to nag him about how he got her phone number before discussing anything with him. He gave up and admitted taking her phone number out of Allen's phone but for a 'good reason'. She asked what the reason was just today and Link explained about what state he found Allen in when he went to talk with him. She couldn't believe it, but then again, it explained the bandages on his right wrist.

Link further explained Allen's injuries, his scratched shoulder, his wounded knuckles. Just hearing about Allen's state made Fou want to punch Lavi so hard in the face his friends would feel it every time they looked at him. She wouldn't resort to violence though...despite the fact she almost strangled the person she thought was Lavi...but she needed to crack what The Akuma Gang wanted. Link texted her about the notes he found on Allen's table. Narain leaving, Cross dumping bills on him, The Akuma Gang threatening Lavi...it must have been too much pressure for Allen and he broke down. Fou knew she would've broke down too.

So now she would do all that she could to keep Allen safe.

That meant she needed to keep Allen inside his house or at least always with someone until they got rid of The Akuma Gang. All she needed now was to get others involved. She'd have to avoid getting Lavi involved...maybe Lenalee and Kanda would get involved if she told them about it...but maybe not. She'd just have to get close to her connections. She had Sachiko helping out with her too. So far she only had Link, Sachiko, and Anita helping out. She needed to get more members and quick. It was going to be hard to protect Allen with so little people. Fou sighed and threw her phone in the passenger seat. She drove off to the convenience store.

Meanwhile, Allen was looking out the window skeptically.

"Why did she wait so long before leaving?" Allen asked aloud. Deak raised his eyebrows.

"You sound suspicious of her." Deak observed.

"I am. She's not usually this protective over me. I'm sure she would've normally let me drive to the store by myself. What's up with her?" Allen asked nobody in particular. Deak shrugged.

"Can't be helped. I don't really know her well so I don't know what to consider 'too protective.'" Deak reasoned. Allen wandered away from the window and sat down next to Deak. He really wanted to know more about Lavi's brother since Lavi barely talked to him about his family...but what if Lavi would be upset with him for trying to figure out more about him? Allen sighed and leaned into the couch. "You look like you wanted to ask something." Deak said randomly. Allen didn't know _how _Deak could tell that, but he just shrugged.

"I don't really know if I should ask or not..." Allen mumbled.

"Is it about Lavi? Because I'll answer anything." Deak said a bit too easily. Allen gave him an odd look.

"But what if Lavi didn't want me to know?" Allen asked. Deak's eyebrows shot up. _That was a bit thoughtful of him to think of Lavi first..._Deak smiled at him. Lavi really had a reliable person here.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He knows about you, doesn't he? It's only fair you know as much as he does." Deak reasoned. "So what did you want to know?" Deak asked.

"...I wanted to know more about Lavi's family..." Allen mumbled a bit hesitant. Deak's small smile faded and Allen already regretted even telling him. "N-no, it's none of my business..." Allen shook his head.

"Oh, no you can ask..." Deak reassured him softly. "It's just...a bit difficult...does he know about yours?" Deak asked. Allen nodded shortly. "Then I guess you should know about ours. You see, our parents are pretty rich. They're kind and everything but there's just one problem...they're homophobic. They didn't sit too well with Lavi being bisexual and kicked him out. I wasn't really interested in dating at the time so I stayed, which is why Lavi and I didn't get along very well. Eventually I found someone I was interested in and came out about it. They didn't like that either and kicked me out as well." Deak explained. Allen tried not to show any facial expressions to Deak's story...he decided that he and Lavi's parents _really _wouldn't get along.

"...oh..." Allen mumbled.

"Do you mind telling me about your family?" Deak asked. Allen shrugged.

"My uncle is the only one I have really. He has a lot of other family members but I don't know them all very well. I'm not really blood related to any of them though..." Allen trailed off. Deak hesitated in asking his next question.

"What about your parents?" Deak asked.

"They abandoned me when I was born." Allen replied blankly.

"Oh..."

Talk about awkward.

"...I was raised on the streets really. Then Mana came around and him and his brother adopted me. He...died about six years ago though. After that, my uncle disappeared and I was put under a new guardian." Allen continued flawlessly like he'd told the story a million times before...that or he practiced it in the mirror. Speaking of mirrors though...

"Oh hey, something totally off topic, what happened to your mirror?" Deak asked, jerking his thumb over to the downstairs bathroom. Allen pursed his lips, wondering if he should make up a lie or something.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I think I may have used it as a punching bag but I can't tell you how reliable that statement is." Allen answered honestly. Deak gave him a bizarre look. "Yeah, I may have had a slight emotional breakdown..." Allen trailed off. _I wonder if it was over Lavi..._Deak wondered to himself. He gazed at Allen curiously. Allen just sighed and leaned against the couch, tired. He really wanted to sleep but he had to wait for Fou to get back...

"You should go to sleep." Deak scolded. "Stay up and you'll get bags under your eyes." Allen looked over at him with a dead serious look in his eyes. Under his eyes bags had actually already developed. Deak sighed and pulled Allen in for a hug. He rubbed his right shoulder and watched Allen's eyes flutter close. A few minutes later, Allen's breath became soft, indicating he had indeed fallen asleep. Deak gently picked Allen up and carried him upstairs and tucked him into bed. He shut the light off and left the room downstairs. He sat on the couch and waited for Fou to come back.

Unfortunately, the dim lights and peaceful warmth in the living room had him snoozing away.

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**Ahh finally done -lays on bed and kicks back when Tyki suddenly enters the room. His jaw drops-  
Tyki: Okay, Vira, this is ridiculous. -crosses arms-  
Vira: What's ridiculous? -asks innocently-  
Tyki: -gestures to the room which is covered every square inch in glitter-  
Vira: Oh this? This is just the glitter all my _lovely _reviewers gave me -sighs in relief- I love them.  
Tyki: -shakes head- How can you even lay on that bed?! It's covered in glitter!  
Vira: -smiles brightly- And soon I will be!  
Tyki: -face palms-  
Vira: Yo, Tyki, you should read the list, I'm too busy enjoying ALL MY FREAKING GLITTER.  
Tyki: -whines- but you're better at reading it-  
Vira: -I know.  
Tyki: So-  
Vira: READ IT TYKI.  
Tyki: -sighs- FINE. Vira-  
Vira: Elvira, Tyki. I never said you could call me by my nickname.  
Tyki: -stares- _Elvira _would like to thank you all for reviewing! Thank you to -inhales a large gasp of air- smileysparklea, Shirubagure (-puts Tease on windowsill like a trophy), spoons-are-evil (that was a weird thought...xD), xXxPhantomxXx (I could actually understand that review, no worries xD), NoName-chan (Tyki can give you a rape face this time (-insert Tyki rape face)), Kinue, xXlovinlavenXx (yeahhh awkwardness xD), Snipperita (400...not on my story though, right? Because then that would mean you reviewed 90% of all my reviews O.o), The Amazing Emiko-chan (...OHMAHGAHD GLITTER I LOVE YOU), roseahal, MaxAngelOfDeath, Guesty Guest (-glitter spazz-), Gratsu-dragon, midnightstardust, original-jade, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad (-pokes face with glitter finger- are you awake now?), and Elvea Theb (H-how could you not know what an uke is?! xD Hahahahaha that's hilarious!) for reviewing. -pants- Oh my glitter, Vira, this is ridiculous.  
Vira: -sly grin appears on face and pats the bed- you just said 'Oh my glitter'.  
Tyki: Hold on one minute while I go repeatedly smash my face into a mirror and drown my mouth in soap.  
Heehee! Don't forget to VoTe FoR ThE PoLL! Oh, and there will be Christmas specials!**


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